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ANCIENT 



SCOTTISH BALLADS. 



ENTERED AT STATIONER'S HALL, 



ANCIENT 
SCOTTISH BALLADS, 

IlECOVERED FROM TRADITION, AND NEVER 
BEFORE published: 

WITH 

NOTES, 

HISTORICAL AND EXPLANATORY: 



AN APPENDIX 



(ffontainius t1)e Slits of sebcral of ti)c iSallatJSi. 



Sum bethe of wer, and sum of wo j 
And sum of ioie, and mirthe also i 
And sum of trecherie, and sum of gile; 
Of old auentours that fel while. 

Lais le Freyiu 



LONDON: 

LONGMAN, REES, ORME, BROWN, & GREEN, 
AND JOHN STEVENSON, EDINBURGH, 

MDCCCXXVII. 



■fV- 



^\\\\ 



%\ 



^-' 



o' 










TO 



ROBERT DUNDAS, 

ESQUIRE, OF ARNISTON, 
THIS VOLUME 

IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED 

BY HIS 

VERY FAITHFUL AND OBEDIENT 

SERVANT, 

GEO. R. KIN LOCH. 



CONTENTS. 



Prefatory Notice, ix 

Young Redin, 1 

Earl Richard, 13 

The Shepherd's Dochter, 25 

Lord Lovel, 31 

Johnie of Cocklesmuir, 36 

Cruel Mother,.. 44 

Laird of Wariestoun, 49 

Laird of Blackwood, 58 

The Wedding of Robin Hood and Little John,.... 65 

The Gardener, 74 

Johnie Buneftan, 77 

Lord Thomas of Winesberrie, 89 

Sweet Willie, 95 

Bonnie House of Airly,..- 100 

Lord Donald, 107 

Queen Jeanie, 116 

Bonnie Annie, , 123 

The Duke of Athol's Nourice, 127 



VIU 



The Provost's Dochter, 131 

Hynde Horn, 135 

Elfin Knicht, 145 

Young Peggy, 153 

William Guiseman, 156 

Laird of Ochiltree, 159 

Laird of Lochnie, , 167 

TheDukeof Athol, 170 

Glasgow Peggy, 174 

Lady Margaret, 179 

Geordie, 187 

Lord John, , 195 

Laird of Drum, 199 

Jock o' Hazelgreen, 206 

Duke of Perth's Three Daughters, 210 

Lord Henry and Lady Ellenore, 219 

Hynde Etin, 225 

Clerk Saunders, 233 

Sweet William and May Margaret, 240 

Queen Eleanor's Confession, 255 

Mary Hamilton, 252 

Lord Beichan and Susie Pye, 260 



PREFATORY NOTICE. 



The Editor, in laying this work before the pub- 
lic, deems it unnecessary to make any apology 
for rescuing from oblivion those remains of our 
ancient Scottish ballads, which have escaped 
the researches of former Collectors. If, accord- 
ing to some eminent writers, the manners and 
customs of our ancestors be described; — their 
characters and pursuits delineated; — the dispo- 
sitions of the inhabitants, and the prevailing 
superstitions, of a country but little advanced 
in civilization, be displayed in ancient ballad 
poetry; then, he may be permitted to express 
a hope, that this volume will not be considered 
an useless addition to those collections of Scot- 
tish traditionary poetry already published. 



AFter the successful and important labours of 
Sir Walter Scott, Mr. Jamieson, and others, it 
might have been thought that the harvest had 
been so thoroughly reaped, as to leave but a 
bare and arid field behind. Yet, though the 
collections of those eminent individuals stand 
unrivalled in excellence, and contain the best, 
perhaps, of our ancient ballads, the harvest 
was too rich, and the field too wide, not to al- 
low a few scattered patches to escape untouched 
for future collectors to gather in. Whilst, there- 
fore, the works alluded to are chiefly confined 
to the South of Scotland, the present collection 
is almost entirely composed of ballads obtained 
in the ' North Countrie,' a district hitherto but 
little explored, though by no means destitute of 
traditionary poetry. 

Although this work may not rank with 
those above mentioned, yet, it is hoped, there 
will be found in it a few ballads not unworthy 
of preservation. They have all been taken 
down from recitation ; and, so far as the Edi- 
tor is aware, have never before been published : 
and though some of them will be found to be 



XI 



flifferent versions of ballads already given to 
the public, yet, in general, the difference is so 
marked and essential, that, in some instances, 
were it not for the similarity of story, they might 
almost rank as separate and distinct composi- 
tions. The same remark applies to many En- 
glish ballads current in Scotland, which have 
assumed a dress and character so different from 
their own, that, but for some striking peculia- 
rities, it would be scarcely possible to discover 
to which country they had originally belonged. 
Such discrepancies, however, are inseparable 
from ballad poetry handed down by tradition, 
more especially when we consider the source 
from which it is generally derived; the com- 
mon people being the usual depositaries of 
our " legendary lore," who are apt to alter the 
structure and detail of ballads, by interpolating 
stanzas, curtailing what they do not under- 
stand, and substituting whatever may please 
their own fancy or caprice, in order to suit the 
dialect, or other circumstances, of local situation. 
But in a work of this kind, where it was the 
Editor's chief intention, to form a collection 



xu 

of the ballad poetry of the North, he con- 
ceived it would have been improper to ex- 
clude any piece, merely because it may have 
been previously published in another form; es- 
pecially as it showed the state in which tra- 
ditionary poetry has been preserved in that 
quarter. But, as it was also " the original de- 
sign of the Editor," (to use the words of Mr. 
Jamieson, while engaged in a similar pursuit,) 
" in making this compilation, to select not on- 
ly such hitherto unpublished pieces as were 
entitled, by their own intrinsic merit, independ- 
ent of other considerations, to the notice of the 
public; but such also as, by differing material- 
ly from the copies already given to the world, 
(even when that difference exhibited no exam- 
ples of superior excellence,) contributed to il- 
lustrate the state of traditionary poetry in ge- 
neral, and of ballad poetry in Scotland in par- 
ticular; there will be found in this work seve- 
ral popular ditties, the stories of which are al- 
ready known to the admirers of such things, 
although they here appear in a dress entirely 



XllI 



new to the mere readers of ancient minstrel- 
sy."* 

The ballads in the present collection are giv- 
en as they were taken down from recitation; 
and though, no doubt, in many respects requir- 
ing emendation, to render them in some in- 
stances more intelligible, the Editor has scrupu- 
lously abstained from taking any liberties with 
their text, farther than merely transposing a few 
occasional words to correct an obvious error 
of the reciter. 

The airs of several of the ballads are given as 
an Appendix. These have been communicated 
to the Editor by a friend who noted them 
down from the singing of those individuals who 
furnished the ballads to which they apply. 
Whether these airs be strictly conform to mu- 
sical principles, it is needless to inquire. They 
are given exactly as they have been in use to be 
sung to their respective ballads; and are re- 



Ballads, vol. 1. p. 80. 



XIV 



duced into such time as best suited the manner 
of singing them. As they, in general, possess 
that simplicity peculiar to ancient airs, they 
seem upon the whole to be worthy of preser- 
vation. 



Edinburgh, Feb, 1827. 



YOUNG REDIN. 



The introductory note to the ballad of " Earl 
Richard" in the second volume of the Border 
Minstrelsy, mentions that, " There are two bal- 
lads in Mr. Herd's MSS. upon the following 
story, in one of which the imfortunate knight is 
termed Young Huntin. A fragment, containing 
from the sixth to the tenth verse, has been re- 
peatedly published. The best verses are selected 
from both copies, and some trivial alterations 
have been adopted fi-om tradition." The Editor 
has not seen Mr. Herd's MSS., and has there- 
fore been unable to collate the present copy with 
the two versions mentioned in the above note. 
But, judging of the ballad of Earl Richard, as 
published by Sir Walter Scott, which, he says, 
is composed *' of the best verses," selected from 



both those copies, the Editor is inclined to be- 
lieve that the ballad of Young Redin differs 
essentially, both in incident and detail from 
either of them. The ballad of Lord William, 
in the same volume, is evidently founded on the 
same story. 

This copy has been recovered from the reci- 
tation of Miss E. Beattie, of Edinburgh, a native 
of Mearns-shire, who sings it to a plaintive, 
though somewhat monotonous air of one mea- 
sure. 



YOUNG REDIN. 



Young Redin's til * the huntin gane, 

Wi' therty lords and three; 
And he has til his true-love gane, 

As fast as he could hie. 

" Ye're welcome here, my young Redin, 

For coal and candle licht; 
And sae are ye, my young Redin, 

To bide f wi' me the nicht." 

" I thank ye for your licht, ladie, 

Sae do I for your coal; 
But there's thrice as fair a ladie as thee 

Meets me at Brandie's well." 

Whan they were at their supper set, 
And merrily drinking wine, 

* rt7— to f JBtWc— stay. 



This ladie has tane * a sair sickness. 
And til her bed has gane. 

Young Redin he has followed her. 

And a dowie f man was he; 
He fund his true-love in her houer, 

And the tear was in her ee J. 

Whan he was in her arms laid, 

And gieing her kisses sweet. 
Then out she's tane a little penknife, 

And wounded him sae deep. 

" O ! lang, lang, is the winter nieht, 

And slawly daws § the day; 
There is a slain knicht in my bouer, 

And I wish he war || away." 

Then up hespak her bouer-woman. 

And she spak ae wi' spite: — 
" An there be a slain knicht in your bouer, 

It's yoursel that has the wyte ^." 

* Tane — taken, f JDcwie — dull. |: Eee — eye. § ZJaw*— dawns. 
II JFar — was, f IFi/te — blame. 



" O heal * this deed on me, Meggy, 

O heal this deed on me, 
The silks that war shapen for me gen Pasche f , 

They sail be sewed for thee." 

" O I hae heal'd on my mistress 

A twalmonth and a day. 
And I hae heaPd on my mistress, 

Mair than I can say." 

They've booted him, and they've spurred him, 

As he was wont to ride: — 
A huntin horn round his neck, 

And a sharp sword by his side ; 
In the deepest place o' Clyde's water, 

It's there they've made his bed. 

Sine up bespak the wylie parrot, 

As he sat on the tree, — 
" And hae ye kill'd him young Redin, 

Wha ne'er had love but thee!" 



* Heal — conceal. j- Pasche — Eastex*. 



6 



" Come doun, come doun, ye wylie parrot. 

Come doun into my band; 
Your cage sail be o* the beaten gowd, 

When now it's but the wand." 

" I winna come doun, I canna come doun, 

I winna come doun to thee; 
For as yeVe dune * to young Redin, 

Ye'll do the like to me; 
Ye'll thraw my head afF my hause-bane f , 

And throw me in the sea." 

O there cam seekin young Redin, 

Monie a lord and knicht; 
And there cam seekin young Redin, 

Monie a ladie bricht. 

And they hae % til his true-love gane, 
Thinking he was wi' her; 



* Dune— done, f Hause-banc—the collar-bone. | ^ae— have. 



" I bae na seen him, young Redin, 

Sin yesterday at noon; 
He turned his stately steed about, 

And hied him through the toun. 

" But ye'll seek Clyde's water up and doun, 

Ye'll seek it out and in — 
I bae na seen him, young Redin, 

Sin yesterday at noon." 

Then up bespak young Redin*s mither, 
And a dowie woman was scho * ; — 

" There's na a place in a' Clyde's water, 
But my son wad gae through." 

They've sought Clyde's water up and doun, 

They've sought it out and in, 
And the deepest place o' Clyde's water 

They fund young Redin in. 

O white, white, war his wounds wasben, 
As white as a linen clout; 

* ^cAo— she, still used in Mearns-shire. 



8 

But as the traitor she cam near, 
His wounds they gushed out ! 

" It's surely been my bouer-woman, 

O ill may her betide; 
I ne'er wad * slain him young Redin, 

And thrown him in the Clyde." 

Then they've made a big bane-fire, 

The bouer-woman to brin f ; 
It tuke na on her cheek, her cheek. 

It tuke na on her chin, 
But it tuke on the cruel hands 

That put young Redin in. 

Then they've tane out the bouer-woman, 

And put the ladie in : 
It tuke na on her cheek, her cheek. 

It tuke na on her chin. 
But it tuke on the fause, fause J, arms, 

That young Redin lay in. 

* JFad — would. f Brin — burn. ^ Fause — false. 



NOTES 



ON 



YOUNG REDIN. 



Btit there s titrice as fair a ladie as thee, 
Meets me at Brandies well. — p. 3, v. 3. 
" In the dark ages of Popery, it was a custom, if any 
well had an awful situation, and was seated in some 
lonely melancholy ^ale ; if its water was clear and lim- 
pid, and beautifully margined with the tender grass ; or 
if it was looked upon as having a medicinal quality ; 
to gift it to some Saint, and honour it with his name. 
Hence it is, that we have at this day wells and foun- 
tains called, some St. John's, St. Mary Magdalen's, 
St. Mary's Well, &c." — Brand's Pop. Antiq. p. 82. 
These wells were the usual rendezvous of lovers, who 
attracted by their solitary situation, and impressed with 
the sacred character which they bore, as being dedicated 
to some holy person, believed that the vows of love and 
constancy breathed beside them, would burn with a 
purer and more lasting flame. 



10 



They were also believed to be the favourite haunts 
of water-nymphs and spirits, who delighted in their 
secluded beauty, and wantoned in their limpid streams. 
The reader need scarcely be reminded, that this be- 
lief, which is evidently derived from the heathen mytho- 
logy, is alluded to in the tales of the Bride of Lam- 
mermoor, and the Monastery. In the latter of these 
(vol. 1, p. 312), the naiad of the fountain is invoked 
by the following charm: — " He cast the leathern 
brogue or buskin from his right foot, planted himself in 
a firm posture, unsheathed his sword, ancj first looking 
around to collect his resolution, he bowed three times 
deliberately towards the holly-tree, and as often to the 
little fountain, repeating at the same time, with a de- 
termined voice, the following rhyme: — 

" Thrice to the holly brake — 
Thrice to the well: — 
I bid thee awake, 

White maid of Avenel ! 

" Noon gleams on the Lake — 
Noon glows on the Fell, — 
Wake thee, O wake, 
White maid of Avenel." 

But as the traitor she cam near, 
His wounds they gushed out, — p. 8, v. 21. 
The superstitious belief that blood would issue from 
the wounds of a murdered person, at the approach, or 
touch of the murderer, is of great antiquity, and is still 



11 



prevalent in Scotland among the lower orders. It was 
the practice, when a murder was committed, and where 
the circumstances attending it were mysterious, or the 
proof doubtful, to have recourse to the ordeal of making 
the suspected person lay his hand upon the dead body, 
in order to discover his guilt; for it was believed that if 
guilty, the wounds would instantly bleed at the touch. 
The Editor recollects of this ordeal having been prac- 
tised at Aberdeen, about twenty years ago, on the 
occasion of the dead body of a pregnant woman having 
been f jund in the neighbouring canal. It was suspected 
that she had been murdered by her sweetheart, the re- 
puted father of the unborn infant, who was accordingly 
seized by the populace, and taken by force to the 
place where the dead body lay, in order to undergo 
this ordeal as a test of his guilt. It was said, that as 
soon as he touched the body, blood flowed fi-om the 
nostrils; a circumstance, which, though it may have 
proceeded from natural causes, was decisive of his guilt 
in the eyes of the vulgar. As there was, however, no 
other j^roo/* against him, he was permitted to escape. 

This ordeal was also practised on human bones which 
had remained long undiscovered, and which were be- 
lieved to be the remains of some one who had been 
murdered and secretly buried. — In these cases, as sus- 
picion could fall on no particular person, the people in 
the neighbourhood were assembled by the civil Magis- 
trate to evince their innocence by this mode of purga- 
tion. — " As the said Andrew Mackie, his wife went 
to bring in some peets for the fire, when she came to 
the door she found a broad stone to shake under her 



12 



foot, which she never knew to be loose before ; she re- 
solved with hereelf to see what was beneath it in the 
morning thereafter. Upon the 6th of Aprile, when the 
house was quiet, she went to the stone, and there 
found seven small bones, with blood, and some flesh, 
all closed in apiece of old suddled paper; the blood was 
fresh and bright. The sight whereof troubled her, and 
being afJraid, laid all down again, and ran to Colline, 
his house being a quarter of an mile distant : — In the 
middle of the day, the persons alive who lived in that 
house since it was built, being about twenty-eight 
years, were conveined by appointment of the civil 
Magistrate before Colline, myself, and others, and did 
all touch the bones, in respect there was some suspicion 
of secret murder committed in the place; but nothing 
was found to discover the same." — Telfair s True Re- 
lation of an Apparition, Sfc» 1695. 

The custom of laying the hand on the breast of a 
person who has died from natural disease, (which is 
done by every one who enters the room where the 
corpse lies), is undoubtedly allied to this belief, and is 
viewed by the vulgar as no idle ceremony. It is be- 
lieved that it prevents one from dreaming of the dead 
person, and it is also practised to show the friendship 
borne towards the deceased, as evincing that they had 
no hand in the death. 



EARL RICHARD. 



In Percy's * Reliques of Ancient English Poe- 
try,' vol. 3, will be found a ballad on the same 
subject as the present, under the title of The 
Knight and Shepherd's Daughter, ' This ballad,' 
says Percy, ' given from an old black-letter 
copy with some corrections, was popular in 
the time of Queen Elizabeth, being usually 
printed with her picture before it, as Hearne in- 
forms us in his preface to ' Gul. Newbrig. Hist. 
Oxon.' 1719, 8vo. vol. 1. p. Ixx. — It is quoted 
in Fletcher's Comedy of the Pilgrim, act IV. sc. 
1.' The Editor has fortunately procured from 
recitation three different versions of this ballad 
in a Scottish dress. Two of these differing only 
in the number of stanzas, and some tri^dal 
points, are here incorporated, under the title 
of Earl Richard, No other liberty is taken 



14 



with the text, but merely transferring a few 
verses of the one copy to the other, to render it 
more complete and connected in its detail. The 
third version, entitled The Shepherd's Dochter, 
being somewhat different in its text, and having 
the very common chorus of Diddle, diddle, &fc. 
accompanying each verse in singing, is also 
inserted at the end of this copy. 

The artifices which the lady practises to 
maintain the character of a "beggar's brat," 
and the lively description which she gives of the 
"gentle craft," are kept up with great spirit 
and fancy. The English copy, which is decid- 
edly inferior, both in poetical composition and 
archness of humour, is entirely destitute of this 
part, even in allusion. The Scottish language 
has given such a playful naivete to these ballads, 
that one would be apt to suppose that version 
to be the original, were it not that the invariable 
use of English titles, which are retained in all 
the Scottish copies, betrays the ballad to have 
emanated from the south, although it has other- 
wise assumed the character of a northern pro- 
duction. 



EARL RICHARD. 



There was a shepherd's dochter * 

Kept sheep on yonder hill; 
Bye cam a knicht frae the king's court, 

And he wad hae his will. 

Whan he had got his mils o' her, 

His will as he has tane; — 

" Wad ye be sae gude and kind, 

As tell to me your name?" 

" Some ca's me Jock, some ca's me John, 

Some disna kenf my name; 
But whan I'm in the king's court, 
Mitchcock is my name." 

* Dochter — daughter. f Disna ken — do not knew. 



16 



" Mitchcock! hey!" the lady did say, 

And spelt it oure again; — 
" If that's your name in the latin tongue, 

Earl Richard is your name !" 

O jumpt he upon his horse. 

And said he wad gae ride; 
Kilted* she her green claithing, 

And said she wad na hide. 

And he was never sae discreet, 
As bid her loup f on and ride; 

And she was ne'er sae meanly bred, 
As for to bid him bide. 

And whan they cam to yon water, 
It was running like a flude; — 
" I've learnt it in my mither's bouer, 
I've learnt it for my gude, 

That I can soum J this wan § water. 
Like a fish in a flude. 



Kilted — tucked up. f Loup — jump. \ Soum — Swim. 
§ Wan — ^dark-coloured. , 



17 



I've learnt it in my father's bouer, 

I've learnt it for my better. 
And I will soum this wan water. 

As tho' I was ane otter." 

" Jump on behind, ye weill-faur'd may*, 

Or do ye chuse to ride?" 
"'No, thank ye, sir," the lady said, 
" I wad rather chuse to wydef ;" — 
And afore that he was mid-water. 
She was at the ither side. 

" Turn back, turn back, ye weill-faur'd may. 
My heart will brak in three;" — 

" And sae did mine on yon bonnie hill- side, 
Whan ye wad na let me be." 

" Whare gat ye that gay claithing, 

This day I see on thee?" 
" My mither was a gude milk-nurse. 

And a gude nourice was she. 
She nurs'd the Earl o' Stoekford's ae dochterj, 

And gat a' this to me." 

* WeiU-fau/ d may — handsome maid . f Wyde — wade. 

\ Ae dochter — only daughter. 

B 



18 



Whan she cam to the king^s court, 

She rappit wi' a ring; 
Sae ready was the king himsel' 

To lat the lady in. 

" Glide day, gude day, my liege the king, 
Gude day, gude day, to thee;" 

" Gude day," quo' he, " my lady fair. 
What is't ye want wi' me?" 

" There is a knicht into your court. 

This day has rohhed me;" — 
" O has he tane your gowd," he says, 
" Or has he tane your fee?" 

" He has na tane my gowd," she says, 

" Nor yet has he my fee; 
But he has tane my maiden-head. 
The flow'r o' my hodie." 

" O gin* he be a single man, 

His body I'll gie thee; 
But gin he be a married man, 
I'll hang him on a tree." 



19 



Then out bespak the queen herseP, 
Wha sat by the king's knee: — 
" There's na a knicht in a' our court 
Wad hae dune that to thee. 
Unless it war my brither. Earl Richard, 
And forbid it, it war he ! 

" Wad ye ken your fause love, 
Amang a hundred men?" 
" I wadj" said the bonnie ladie, 
"Amang five hundred and ten." 

The king made a' his merry men pass. 

By ane, by twa, and three; 
Earl Richard us'd to be the first man, 

But was hindmost man that day. 

He cam hauping* on ae foot. 
And winking wi' ae ee; — 
"Ha! ha!" cried the bonnie ladie, 
" That same young man are ye." 

* Haupin(/-—\\m]i\ng. 



20 



He has pou'd* out a hundred pounds, 
Weel lockitf in a glove; — 
" Gin ye be a courteous may, 
Ye'U chose anither love." 

"What care I for your hundred pounds? 
Nae mair than ye wad for mine; 
What's a hundred pounds to me, 
To a marriage wi' a king^ 

"FU hae nane o* your gowd, 
Nor either o' your fee; 
But I will hae your ain bodie, 
The king has grantit me." 

"O was ye gentle gotten, maid? 
Or was ye gentle born? 
Or hae ye onie gerssj growin'? 
Or hae ye onie corn? 

Or hae ye onie lands or rents. 
Lying at liber tie? 

* Pou'd — pulled. f Lockit — enclosed. \ Gerss — grass. 



Or hae ye onie education, 
To dance alang \vi' me?" 

" I was na gentle gotten, madam, 

Nor was I gentle born; 
Neither hae I gerss growin', 
Nor hae I onie corn. 

" I hae na onie lands or rents, 

Lying at libertie; 
Nor hae I onie education, 
To dance alang wi' thee." 

Whan the marriage it was oure, 

And ilk ane took their horse, — 
"It never sat a beggar's brat, 
At na knicht's back to be." 

He lap on ae milk-white steed, 

And she lap on anither, 
And syne the twa rade out the way. 

Like sister and like brither. 

The ladie met wi' a beggar-wife, 
And gied her half o' crown — 



22 



"Tell a' your neebours whan ye gae hame. 
That Earl Richard's your gude-son*." 

"O haud your tongue, ye beggar's brat, 
My heart will brak in three;" — 

"And sae did mine on yon bonnie hill-side, 
Whan ye wad na lat me be." 

Whan she cam to yon nettle-dyke — 
"An my auld mither was here, 

Sae Weill as she wad ye pou; 
She wad boil ye weill, and butter ye weill. 

And sup till she war fouf, 
Syne lay her head upo' her dish doupj. 

And sleep like onie sow." 

And whan she came to Tyne's water. 

She wylilie§ did say — 
"Fareweil ye mills o' Tyne's water. 
With thee I bid gude-day. 

Fareweil ye mill's o' Tyne's water, 
To you I bid gude-een; 



* G«cfe-so«— son-in-law. f i^ou— fall. | Boup^hottom, 
§ Wfflilie — cunningly. 



28 



Whare monie a time I've fill'd my pock, 
At mid-day and at een." 

"Hochl* had I drank the well-water. 
Whan first I drank the wine, 
Never a mill-capon 

Wad hae been a love o' mine." 

Whan she cam to Earl Richard's house 
The sheets war HoUan'f fine — 
"O hand awa thaef linen sheets. 
And bring to me the linsey§ clouts, 
I hae been best used in." 

"O baud your tongue, ye beggar's brat, 

My heart will brak in three;" — 
"And sae did mine on yon bonnie hill-side, 

Whan ye wad na lat me be." 

"I wish I had drank the well-water, 
Whan first I drank the beer, 
That ever a shepherd's dochter 
Shou'd hae been my only dear." 

* Hoch!—O\i\ Alas! 

f HoIlan''-—a. term given to fine linen, the manufacture of Holland. 

I Thae— those. § Linsev — coarse woollen cloth. 



"Ye'll turn about, Earl Richard, 
And mak some mair o' me : * 
An ye mak me lady o' ae puir plow, 
I can mak you laird o' three." 

" If ye be the Earl o' Stockford's dochter. 
As IVe some thouchts ye be. 
Aft hae I waited at your father's yettf 
But your face I ne'er could see." 

Whan they cam to her father's yett, 

She tirled on the pin J; 
And an auld belly-blind§ man was sittin' there 

As they were entering in :— 

"The meetest marriage," the belly-blind did cry, 

"At ween the ane and the ither; 
Atween the Earl o' Stockford's ae dochter. 
And the queen o' England's brither." 



* Mali' some mair o' me — show me more kindness, and attention. 

f Yett — gate. \ Tirled on the pin — twirled the latch or door-pin. 

§ Belly-blind — stone-blind. 



THE SHEPHERD'S DOCHTER. 



There was a shepherd's dochter, 

Kept sheep on yonder hill; 
There cam a knicht o' courage bricht, 

And he wad hae his will. 

He has tane her by the milk-white hand, 
Glen her a gown o' green ; — 
" Tak ye that, fair may," he said, 
" Na mair o' me '11 be seen." 

" Sin ye hae tane your wills o' me, 
Your wills o' me ye've tane; 
Sin ye hae tane your wills o' me. 
Pray tell to me your name." 

" O, some they ca' me Jack, ladie. 
And ithers ca' me John, 
But whan I am in the King's court. 
Sweet William is my name." 



26 

She has kilted* up her green claithiiig, 

A little below the knee, 
And she has gane to the king's court, 

As fast as she could hie. 

And whan she cam unto the king. 
She knelt low on her knee; — 
" There is a man into your court, 
This day has robbed me." 

" Has he robbed ye o' your gowd. 
Or of your white money,f 
Or robbed ye o' the flow'ry branch, 
The flow'r of your bodie." 

" He has na robb'd me of my gowd, 
Nor of my white money; 
But he's robb'd me o' the flow'ry branch, 
The flow'r of my bodie." 

" O gin he be a bondsman, 
High hangit sail he be; 
But gin he be a freeman, 

He sail weel provide for thee." 



Kilted — tucked. f IVhite Money — silver. 



27 



The king has call'd on his nobles all, 

By therty and by three; 
Sweet William should hae been the foremost, 

But the hindmost man was he. 

" Do ye mind yon Shepherd's dochter, 
Ye met on yonder hill, 
Whan a' her flocks were feeding round, 
Of her ye took your will." 

Then he's taue out a purse o' gowd, 
Tied up intil a glove; — 
" Sae, tak ye that, fair may," he says, 
" And choice for you a love." 

O he's tane out three hundred pund. 
Tied up intil a purse — 
" See, tak ye that, fair may," he says, 
" And that will pay the nurse." 

" I'll neither have your gowd," she says, 
Nor yet your white money, 
But I will hae the king's grant. 
That he has granted me." 

He has tane her on a milk-white steed, 

Himself upon anither. 
And to his castle they hae rode. 

Like sister and like brither. 



28 

O ilka nettle that they cam to — 

" O Weill mote* you grow, 
For monie a day, my minnief and me 
Hae pilkitj at your pow."§ 

O ilka mill that they cam to — 

" O Weill mote you clap,l| 
For monie a day, my minnie and me 
Hae buckled^ up our lap. 

You're the king o' England's ae brither, 

I trust Weill that ye be ; 
Fm the Earl o' Stamford's ae dochter, 

He has na raae** but me." 

O saw ye ere sicf f a near mamage, 
Atween the ane and the ither, — 

The Earl o' Stamford's ae dochter, 
And the king o' England's brither. 



* Mote — may. f Minnie — mother. \ Pilkit — plucked. 

§ Pow — top. II Clap — clack. ^ Buckled^-'tucked. 

** 2£ae — more. ff Sic — so. 



NOTES 



ON 



EARL RICHARD. 



Bye cam a knichtfrae the kings court — p. 13, v. 1. 
In place of " King's Court," one of the copies has 
" the High College.'' Are we thence to suppose that 
Earl Richard was a wild Cantab or Oxonian? 

But whan Tm in the king's court, 
Mitchcock is my name. — p. 1 5, v. 3. 
The Editor is at a loss to discover the meaning of this 
name, and he can only view it as a fictitious title as- 
sumed by the Earl to impose on the lady. But from 
her seeming previous knowledge of him, she was not 
easily deceived ; and by having recourse to a learned lan^ 
guage to unriddle his title, she, in her tm-n, attempts to 
deceive the knight, by making him believe that it was 
solely from the " latin tongue" she knew it to be Earl 
Richard. 



30 

Whan she cam to the kings court,' 
She rappit wi a ring. — p. 18, v. 12. 

The risp and ringle was the ancient mode of making 
application for admission. They have been superse(.ed 
by the bell and knocker, altho' they are yet to be seen on 
the doors of some old houses in Edinburgh. The risp 
" was formed of a small square rod of iron, twisted or 
otherwise notched, which was placed perpendicularly, 
starting out a little from the door, bearing a small ring of 
the same metal, which an applicant for admittance drew 
rapidly up and down the nicks [notches] , so as to pro- 
duce a grating sound." — Traditions of Edinburgh. 

When she cam to yon 7iettle-dyke. — p. 22, v. 32. 
The practice of gathering nettles for making kail, or 
broth, was once very common in Scotland, among the 
poorer class. They were also considered an excellent 
antiscorbutic, and are still used by some on account of 
this medicinal quality. 

Never a mill-capon, 

Wad hae been a love 6 mine. — p. 23, v. 35. 
A mill-capon was a designation given to a poor per- 
son who sought charity at mills from those who had 
grain grinding. The alms were usually a gowpen or 
handful of meal. It was likewise customary to hang up 
a pock in the mill, into which a handful of meal was put 
for the use of the poor, out of the quantity ground. It 
is feared that this charitable multure is no longer given. 



LORD LOVEL. 



This ballad, taken down from the recitation 
of a lady of Roxburghshire, appears to claim 
affinity to Border Song; and the title of the 
" discourteous squire," would incline one to 
suppose that it has derived its origin from some 
circumstance connected with the county of 
Northumberland, where Lovel was anciently a 
well known name. Lovele is the name of one 
of the heroes of Otterburn: 

" Sir Jorg the worthe Lovele 

A knyght of great renowen, 
Sir Raff the ryche Rugbe 

With djTites wear beaten dowene." 

" Job. de Lavale, miles, was sheriff of Nor- 
thumberland 34. Hen. VII. [VIII.] Job. de 



32 



Lavele, mil. in the I. Edw. VI. and afterwards, 
(Fuller, 313.) In Nicholson this name is spelt 
Da Lovel, p. 304. This seems to be the an- 
cient family of Delaval, of Seaton Delaval, in 
Northumberland, whose ancestor was one of the 
twenty-five barons appointed to be guardians of 
Magna Charta." Reliq, Anc. Poetry, vol. 1, 
Notes to Chevy Chase, 



LORD LOVEL. 



Lord Lovel stands at his stable door, 
Mounted upon a grey steed; 

And bye came Ladie Nanciebel, 

And wish'd Lord Lovel much speed. 

"O whare are ye going, Lord Lovel, 

My dearest tell to me?" 
"O I am going a far journey. 

Some strange countrie to see; 

But I'll return in seven long years. 
Lady Nanciebel to see." 
"O! seven, seven, seven long years. 
They are much too long for me." 



34 



He was gane a year away, 

A year but barely ane, 
Whan a strange fancy cam into his head, 

That fair Nanciebel was gane. 

It's then he rade, and better rade, 

Until he cam to the toun, 
And there he heard a dismal noise, 

For the church bells a' did soun'. 

He asked what the bells rang for, 
They said, " It's for Nanciebel: 

She died for a discourteous squire. 
And his name is Lord Lovel." 

The lid o' the coffin he opened up. 
The linens he faulded doun; 

And ae he kiss'd her pale, pale, lips. 
And the tears cam trinkling doun. 

"Weill may I kiss those pale, pale, lips. 
For they will never kiss me; — 
Fll mak a vow, and keep it true, 

That they'll ne'er kiss ane but thee." 



35 



Lady Nancie died on Tuesday's nicht, 
Lord Lovel upon the niest day; 

Lady Nancie died for pure, pure, love, 
Lord Lovel, for deep sorray*. 

* Sorrayo— Sorrow. 



JOHNIE OF COCKLESMUIR. 



Though this ballad differs materially from 
those which have been published under the ti- 
tles of Johnie of Breadislee and Johnie of Cockie- 
law, yet it is undoubtedly founded on the same 
story. Johnie of Breadislee was first published 
in the ' The Border Minstrelsy' as * an ancient 
Nithsdale Ballad.' The present copy was pro- 
cured in the north country. A few of its 
stanzas have been already published under the 
title oi Johnie of Braidishank, in the 'Minstrelsy, 
Ancient and Modern;' but the ballad is here 
given complete. It is evidently of a more ancient 
cast than Johnie of Breadislee; its catastrophe is 
different; and from the repetition of the con- 
cluding line of each stanza, it appears to have 
been more adapted for singing. 



37 



' Johnie of Breadislee,' says the Editor of the 
Border Minstrelsy, 'appears to have been an 
outlaw and deer stealer, probably one of the 
broken men residing upon the Border. It is 
sometimes said that this outlaw possessed the 
old castle of Morton in Dumfriesshire, now 
ruinous.* 



JOHNIE OF COCKLESMUIR. ] 



Johnie rose up in a May morning, 
CalPd for water to wash his hands; 

And he has call'd for his gude gray hunds, 
That lay hand in iron hands, hands, 
That lay hund in iron hands. 

"Ye'll husk*, ye'U busk, my nohle dogs, 
Ye'U busk and mak them bounf , 
For I'm going to the Broadspear-hill, 
To ding the dun deer doun, doun, 
To ding the dun deer doun." 

Whan Johnie's mither heard o' this. 
She til her son has gane; — 

* Busk — prepare. f Boun — ready. 



39 

" Ye'U win your mither^s benison,* 
Gin ye wadf stay at hame, hame, 
Gin ye wad stay at hame. 

Your meat sail be of the very, very best, 
And your drink o' the finest wine; 

And ye will win your mither's benison, 
Gin ye wad stay at hame, hame, 
Gin ye wad stay at hame. 

His mither's counsel he wad na tak, 

Nor wad he stay at hame; 
But he's on to the Broadspear-hill, 

To ding the dun deer doun, doun. 

To ding the dun deer doun. 

Johnie lookit east, and Johnie lookit west, 

And a little below the sun; 
And there he spied the dun deer sleeping, 

Aneath a buss o' brume, brume, 

Aneath a buss o' brumef . 



* Mither^s benison — mother's blessing, f IFad— -would. 
■' I Buss o brume — bush of broom. 



40 



Johnie shot, and the dun deer lap,* 
And he's woundit him in the side; 

And atween the water and the wud,f 
He laid the dun deer*s pride, pride, 
He laid the dun deer's pride. 

They ate sae meiklej o* the venison. 
And drank sae meikle o' the hlude,§ 

That Johnie and his twa gray hunds, 
Fell asleep in yonder wud, wud. 
Fell asleep in yonder wud. 

By there cam a silly auld man. 

And a silly auld man was he; 
And he's afF to the proud foresters. 

To tell what he did see, see. 

To tell what he did see. 

" What news, what news, my silly auld man. 
What news, come tell to me?" 



* Lap — leapt. \ Wud — wood. \ Sae meikle — so much. 
§ Blude — blood. 



41 



" Na news, na news," said the silly auld man, 
But what my een did see, see, 
But what my een did see, 

As I cam in by yon greenwud. 

And doun amang the serogs*. 
The bonniest youth that e'er I saw. 

Lay sleeping at ween twa dogs, dogs, 

Lay sleeping atween twa dogs. 

The sark that he had on his back, 

Was o' the Holland sma'; 
And the coat that he had on his back. 

Was laced wi' gowd fu' braw, braw, 

Was laced* wi' gowd fu' braw. 

Up bespak the first forester. 
The first forester of a' — 
" An this be Johnie o' Cocklesmuir, 
It's time we were awa, awa, 
It's time we were awa." 



* Scrogs—stanted bushes. 



42 

Up bespak the niest forester, 
The niest forester of a' — 
" An this be Johnie Cocklesmuiry 
To him we winna draw, draw, 
To him we winna draw." 

The first shot that they did shoot, 
They woundit him on the thie;* 
Up bespak the uncle's son, — 
" The niest will gar him die, die. 
The niest will gar him die." 



' Stand stout, stand stout, my noble dogs. 

Stand stout and dinna flee; 
Stand fast, stand fast, my gude gray hunds. 

And we will mak them die, die. 

And we will mak them die." 

He has killed six o* the proud foresters. 
And wounded the seventh sair; 

He laid his leg out owre his steed, 
Says, " I will kill na mair, mair. 
Says, " I will kill na mair." 

• Thie— thigh. 



NOTE 



ON 



JOHNIE OF COCKLESMUIR. 



Johnie lookit east, and Johnie lookit west, 
And a little below the sun. — p. 39 v. 6. 

In those stanzas of this ballad published in the *' Min- 
strelsy, Ancient and Modern," the last line runs thus : 

And its lang before the sun, sun. 

But the Editor is inclined to hold the former as the 
true reading ; it being a well known practice, especially 
among huntsmen, in order to discover an object in the 
twilight, to bend downwards, and look low between 
the dark ground and the faint glimmering light from 
the heavens, — which is termed looking below the sky. 
In the Highlands, where the mountain roads are dan- 
gerous, and almost impassable in winter, long black 
poles, with white tops, ai'e placed at intervals along 
the path, to guide the traveller ; and these are only 
discernible in the dark, by " looking below the sky'' at 
every short distance. 



THE CRUEL MOTHER. 



The following ballad seems to be allied, in in- 
cident at least, to that of " Lady Anne" in the 
2d vol. of the Border Minstrelsy. Both are 
founded on the story of a cruel mother murder- 
ing the fruits of an illicit amour. Our crimi- 
nal records of the 17th century, bear evidence 
of the frequent occurrence of this unnatural 
crime; for preventing which, the Scottish par- 
liament in 1690, had recourse to a severe law; 
which declared that a mother concealing her 
pregnancy, and not calling in assistance at the 
birth, should be presumed guilty of murder, if 
the child were found dead or amissing.* If tbe 



* It is perhaps unaecessary to remind the reader, that the 
tale of " the Heart of 3IidIothian", is chiefly founded on a 
breach of this law. 



45 



crime was subversive of the most tender feel- 
ings of our nature, and was viewed as unnatural 
and barbarous, the law, enacted for its preven- 
tion, wa^ strongly tinged with inhumanity. 
Yet, severe as this law was, more than a cen- 
tury elapsed before it was repealed: In 1809 the 
British legislature, viewing the matter with 
greater leniency, wisely preferred a punishment 
of imprisonment to that of death, for a pre- 
sumptive crime. 

The superstitious belief of the ghost of a mur- 
dered person liaunting the slayer, is still preva- 
lent among the vulgar ; and the circumstance of 
a mother, bereaving her innocent babe of life, 
and the horror with which such a crime is 
viewed, might naturally give rise to the idea of 
her being continually haunted by its apparition. 



THE CRUEL MOTHER. 



There lives a lady in London — 

All alone, and alonie; 
She's gane wi' bairn to the clerk's* son- 

Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie. 

She has tane her mantle her about — 

All alone, and alonie; 
She's gane aff to the gude greenwud, 

Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie. 

She has set her back until an aik — 

All alone, and alonie; 
First it bowed and syne it brake — 

Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie. 



* Clerk— The priest. 



^47 

She has set her back until a brier — 

All alone, and alonie; 
Bonnie were the twa boys she did bear, 

Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie. 

But out she's tane a little penknife — 

All alone, and alonie; 
And she's parted them and their sweet life, 

Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie. 

She's aff unto her father's ha' — 

All alone, and alonie; 
She seem'd the lealest* maiden amang them a', 

Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie. 

As she lookit our the castle wa' — 

All alone, and alonie; 
She spied twa bonnie boys playing at the ba' 

Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie. 

" O an thae twa babes were mine" — 
All alone, and alonie; 

* Lealest — truest. 



48. 

" They should wear the silk and the sabelline,"^ 
Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie. 

" O mother dear, when we were thine" — 

All alone, and alonie; 
'' We neither wore the silks nor the sabelline," 

Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie. 

" But out ye took a little penknife, — 

All alone, and alonie; 
*' An ye parted us and our sweet life, 

Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie. 

But now we're in the heavens hie — 

All alone, and alonie; 
And ye have the pains o' hell to dree"f — 

Doun by the greenwud sae bonnie. 



Sahelline — Sable-skin; French Sabeline, j 

* Z)rec— suffer, endiire* ^ 



LAIRD OF WARIESTOUN. 



The tragical event on which this ballad is 
founded is thus detailed in the criminal indict- 
ment upon which " Robert Weir sumtime ser- 
vand to the Laird of Dunniepace," one of the 
accomplices in the murder, was tried and con- 
demned at Edinburgh, on 26th June 1604.— "To 
witt, fforsamekill as umq^ Jeane Le^dngstone, 
guidwife of Wariestoun, haifing sustanet ane 
deidlie rancor, haitrent, and malice agains 
umqi Johnne Kincaid of Wariestoun, for the 
allegit byting of her in the airme, and streking 
her dyverss tymes, the said Jeane, in the moneth 
of Junii 1600 yeires, directit Jonet Murdo her 
nureis to the said Robert £Weir] to the Abbay 
of halyrudhous, quhair he was for the tyme, 
desyreing liim to cum doun to Wariestoun and 



50 



speck with her anent the crewall and unnatu- 
rall taking away of her said hushand's lyfe. 
And the said Robert haifing cum doun twyse 
or thryse to the said umqi Jeane, to the said 
place of Wariestoun, he culd get na speich of 
her. At last the said umqi Jeane upon the 
first day of July 1600 yeiris directit the said 
Jonet Murdo her nureiss to him, desyreing him 
of new agane to cum doun to her; quhairto the 
said Robert grantit. Lykeas at efternone the 
said day the said Robert cam to the said place 
of Wariestoun, quhair he spak with the said 
umqi Jeane, and conferrit with her concerning 
the crewall, unnaturall, and abhominable mur- 
thering of the said umqi Johnne Kincaid. 
And for performeance quhairof the said Robert 
Weir was secreitlie convoyit to ane laich seller 
within the said place, quhairin he abaid quhill 
mydnicht; about the quhilk tyme,heaccumpaneit 
with the said umq^ Jeane Levingstone cam furth 
of the said laich seller up to the hall of the said 
place, and thairfra cam to the chalmer quhair 
the said umqi Johnne was lyand in his bed takand 
the nicht's rest, and haifing enterit within the 



5\ 



said chalmer, persaveing the said umql Johnne 
to be walkint out of his sleip be thair dyn, and 
to preiss under his bed-stok, the said Robert 
cam than rynnand to him, and maist crewallie 
with the faldit neiffis gaif him ane deidlie and 
crewall straik on the vaine-organe, [flank-vein] 
quhairwith he dang the said umqi Johnne to 
the grund out ower his bed, and thairefter 
crewallie strak him on the bellie with his feit, 
quhairupon he gaift a grit cry; and the said 
Robert, feiring the cry sould haif bene hard, he 
thairfore maist tirannouslie, barbaruslie, with his 
hand grippit him be the thrott or waisen, quhDk 
he held fast ane lang tyme quhill he wirreit 
him; during the quhilk tyme the said Johnne 
Kincaid lay struggillingand fechting in the panes 
of daith under him." He was adjudged " to 
be tane to ane skaffold, to be fixt besyde the 
croce of Edr. and thair to be broken uponne 
ane Row* quhill he be deid, and to ly thairat 
during the space of 24 hours, and thairafter his 



* Bow— the Wheel. 



52 



body to be tane upone the said row, and set up 
in ane publick place betwix the place of Wa- 
riestoun and the town of Leith, and to remain 
thairupon ay and quhill command be gevin for 
the buriall thairof. — Records of Justiciary. 

The lady did not escape the just punishment 
of her crime; for " Scho was tane to the Girth 
crosse*, upon the 5th day of Julii, [three days af- 
ter the murder] and her heid struck frae her 
bodie, at the Cannagait fit, quha diet very pa- 
tiently; her nurische was brunt at the same 
time, at 4 hours in the morning, the 5th of Ju- 
lii. — BirreVs Diary, p. 49. 

The reader will find another version of this 
ballad in Mr. Jamieson's collection, vol. 1. 
p. 109. 



* Girth-Crosse—%0 caUed from having once stood at the foot 
of the Canongate, near the Girth or sanctuary of Holyrood- 
house. 



LAIRD OF WARIESTOUN. 



It was at dinner as they sat, 
And when they drank the wine, 

How happy were the laird and lady, 
Of bonnie Wariestoun. 

The lady spak but ae word, 

The matter to conclude; 
The laird strak her on the mouth, 

Till she spat out o' blude. 

She did not know the way 

Her mind to satisfy, 
Till evil cam into her head, 

All by the Enemy. 



54 

" At evening when ye sit. 

And when ye di'ink the wine, 
See that ye fill the glass well up 
To the laird o' Wariestoun. 



So, at table as they sat. 

And when they drank the wine. 
She made the glass aft gae round, 

To the Laird o' Wariestoun. 

The nurice,* she knet the knot. 

And O! she knet it sicker ;f 
The ladie did gie it a twig,t 

Till it began to wicker.§ 

But word has gane doun to Leith, 

And up to Embro toun; 
That the lady she has slain the laird. 

The laird o' Wariestoun. 



* Nurice — nuurse. t Sicker — secure, f Twig — twitch. 
Wicker— 'to twist, from being two tightly drawn. 



Word's gane to her father, the great Duniepace, 

And an angry man was he; 
Cries, " Fy ! gar mak a barrel o' pikes, 

And row her doun some brae." 

She said, " Wae be to ye Wariestoun. 

I wish ye may sink for sin; 
For I hae been your gudwife 

These nine years, running ten; 
And I never loved ye sae weill. 

As now when you're lying slain." 



But tak aff this gowd brocade. 

And let my petticoat be; 
And tie a handkerchief round my face. 

That the people may not see." 



NOTES 



ON 



LAIRD OF WARIESTOUN. 



Till evil cam into her head^ 
All by the Enemy p. 53. v. 3. 

In Scotland, the devil is called, par excellence^ " the 
Enemy " as being the grand enemy of mankind. 

Word's gane to her father, the great Duniepace.—- 

p. 53. V. 8. 

He was John Livingstone, of Dunipace in Stir- 
lingshire ; but the editor has not discovered why he 
merited the title of " Great." 

Cries, <' Fy ! gar mak a barrel 6 pikes. 
And row her down some brae, — p, 55. v. 8. 

This cruel and barbarous punishment, though seem- 
ingly known, has not, so far as the Editor is aware, been 
ever put in practice in Scotland. It appears, however, 
to have been familiar to some ancient nations, and to 



57 



have been adopted upon extraordinary occasions. After 
the Carthaginians had exhausted all the torments which 
their fancy could devise, on the virtuous Regulus, they 
resorted to this as the last and most exquisite of all 
their tortures. " First, his eyelids were cut off, and 
then he was, remanded to prison. He was, after some 
days, exposed with his face to the burning sun. At 
last, when malice was fatigued with studying all the 
arts of torture, he was put into a barrel of nails that 
pointed inwards, and in this painful position he contin- 
ued till he died." — Goldsmith's Roman Hist Svo, 
vol. 1,/?. 247. He may not, indeed, have been rolled 
down a "brae;" as that operation would have more 
speedily put an end to his sufferings, which it was the 
savage pleasure of his enemies to prolong. 



LAIRD OF BLACKWOOD. 



The following traditionary history of this ballad 
was received from the reciter, an old woman in 
Lanark, who had it from her grandmother. — 

The Laird of Blackwood and the Marquis of 

were rivals in the affections of a lovely and ami- 
able young lady, who, preferring the latter, 
became his wife. Blackwood, disappointed in 
his love, and stung with rage at the lady's par- 
tiality, vowed revenge, and concealing his insidi- 
ous purposes under the mask of friendship, got 
easy access to the ear of the Marquis, in whose 
mind he sowed the seeds of jealousy by repeat- 
ing false tales of his wife's infidelity. His nefa- 
rious plans succeeded; and the lady, after ex- 
periencing very cruel treatment from her lord, 
was, at last, separated from him. 



59 

Blackwood, the ancient seat of the Veres, is 
situated in the parish of Lesmahago, Lanark- 
shire. 

A version of this ballad, under the title of 
Jamie Douglas^ will be found in Mi*. Finlay's 
collection of Scottish Ballads, vol. 2. p. 1. It 
diflfers considerably fi'om the present, in text, 
characters and localities; and appears to be 
more complete. He conjectures that it was 
composed on the wife of James Douglas, Earl 
of Morton, the unfortunate regent of Scot- 
land. 



LAIRD OF BLACKWOOD 



" I lay sick, and very sick, 

And I was bad, and like to die, 

A friend o' mine cam to Adsit me; — 

And Blackwood whisper'd in my lord's ear, 
That he was owre lang in chamber wi' me. 

O ! what need I dress up my head, 
Nor what need I kaim* doun my hair, 

Whan my gude lord has forsaken me. 
And says he will na love me mair. 

But O ! an my young babe was born, 
And set upon some nouricef knee; 

And I, mysel, war dead and gane. 
For a maid again I'll never be." — 

* Kaim — comb. f Nourice — luirse. 



61 



^' Na mair o' this, my dochter dear. 
And of your mourning let abee;* 

For a bill of divorce 111 garf write for him, 
A mair better lord I'll get for thee." 

" Na mair o' this, my father dear. 

And of your folly let abee; 
For I wad na gie ae look o' my lord's face, 

For a' the lords in the haillf countrie. 

But I'll cast aff my robes o' red. 
And I'll put on my robes o' blue; 

Aud I will travel to some other land. 
To see gin§ my love will on me rue. 

There sall|I na wash come on my face. 
There sail na kaim come on my hair; 

There sail neither coal, nor candle licht. 
Be seen intil my bouer na mair. 



* Let alee — let alone. f Gar — cause. \ HaW — whole. 
§ Gm— if. II .S-aW— shall. 



62 

Ol wae be to thee Blackwood, 
And an ill death may ye die, 

For ye've been the haill occasion 
Of parting my lord and me." 



NOTE 



ON 



LAIRD OF BLACKWOOD. 



And Blackwood whispered in my lord's ear — p. 57 v. 1. 

In Mr. Finlay's copy, this line runs 

But his blackie whisper d in my lord's ear; 

and in a note upon this line he says, " One copy bears 
black-bird, and in another a Jause bird. The blackie 
or black servant, seems however, the most likely agent 
of the three." There seems to be no good reason for 
this supposition, even admitting that negroes were 
used in Scotland, as attendants on the great, so early 
as the period assigned by Mr. Fin lay, for the date of 
the ballad. May it not rather be presumed, that blackie 
is merely the familiar abbreviation of Blackwood; for 
it is a common practice in Scotland, to call proprietors 
by the name of their estates, which is often familiarly 



64 



abbreviated. This is a presumption, however, wliich 
goes the length of fixing Blackwood, as the original 
character in the story, which may not be altogether 
ceded, vi'hen we find " Black Fastness" in Mr. Fin- 
lay's copy, unless we assume the latter to be an in- 
terpolation. 



THE WEDDING OF 



ROBIN HOOD AND LITTLE JOHN. 



The fame of " bold Robin Hood," (to whom 
tradition has assigned the title of Earl of Hun- 
tington), and his hon camarado Little John, was 
not confined to England, but was well known in 
Scotland, where their gallant exploits are yet 
remembered, and have become still more fa- 
miliar since the publication of " Ivanhoe;" in 
which romance 

"Robin Hood, and his merry men" 

sustain a very prominent part. 

Robin Hood was, anciently, celebrated in 
Scotland by an annual play or festival; and the 
following extract, while it shows the estimation 
in which this festival was regarded by the po- 
pulace, displays at the same time their lawless 
conduct, and the weakness of the civil power, 
in the city of Edinburgh in the fourteenth cen- 



66 



tui-y . "The game of Robin Hood was eel ebrated 
in the month of May. The populace assembled 
previous to the celebration of this festival, and 
chose some respectable member of the corpor- 
ation to officiate in the character of Rohin Hoody 
and another in that of Little John, his squire. 
Upon the day appointed, which was a Sunday 
or a holiday, the people assembled in military 
array, and went to some adjoining field, where, 
either as actors or spectators, the whole inhabi- 
tants of the respective towns were convened. 
In this field they probably amused themselves 
with a representation of Robin Hood's preda- 
tory exploits, or of his encounters with the 
officers of Justice. As numerous meetings for 
disorderly mirth are apt to engender tumult, 
when the minds of the people came to be agita- 
ted with religious controversy, it was found ne- 
cessary to repress the game of Robin Hood by 
public statute. The populace were by no means 
willing to relinquish their favourite amusement. 
Year after year the Magistrates of Edinburgh 
were obliged to exert their authority in repress- 
ing this game, often ineffectually. In the year 



67 



1561, the mob were so enraged in being dis- 
appointed in making a Robin Hood^ that they 
rose in mutiny, seized on the city gates, com- 
mitted robberies upon strangers; and one of the 
ring- leaders, being condemned by the magis- 
trates to be hanged, the mob forced open the 
jail, set at liberty the criminal and all the 
prisoners, and broke in pieces the gibbet erec- 
ted at the cross for executing the malefactor. 
They next assaulted the Magistrates, who were 
sitting in the council-chamber, and who fled to 
the tolbooth for shelter, where the mob attack- 
ed them, battering the doors, and pouring stones 
through the windows. Application was made to 
the deacons of the corporations to appease the 
tumult. Remaining, however, unconcerned 
spectators, they made this answer. " They 
will he magistrates alone; let them rule the multi- 
tude alone J^ The Magistrates were kept in con- 
finement till they made proclamation be pub- 
lished, offering indemnity to the rioters upon 
laying down their arms. Still, however, so late 
as the year 1592, we find the General Assem- 
bly complaining of the profanation of the Sab- 



68 



bath, by making of Rohin Hood Play^, — Ar- 
nofs Hist o/Edin. ch. II. 

Among all the numerous ballads and tales, 
which have been composed on these celebrated 
outlaws, the Editor has not discovered that the 
present ^ne has ever even published. The Edi- 
tor observes however, a ballad in the " Border 
Minstrelsy," under the title of " Rose the Red, 
and White Lilly," which is evidently founded 
on the same story. The editor of that work 
is correct in his conjecture, that it related to 
Robin Hood. One might fancy, a slight resem- 
blance between the meeting of Robin Hood with 
the heroines of this ballad, and his meeting with 
Clorinda, or " Maid Marian," as detailed in 
"Robin Hood's birth, breeding, valour and mar- 
riage" as published by Mr. Ritson, part IL 



THE WEDDING OF 



ROBIN HOOD AND LITTLE JOHN. 



The king has wedded an ill woman, 

Into some foreign land; — 
His daughters twa, that stood in awe, 

They bravely sat and sang. 

Then in be-came their step-mother, 
Sae stately steppin' ben*; — 
" O gin I live and bruikf my life, 
I'll gar| ye change your tune." 

" O we sang ne'er that sang, ladie, 
But we will sing again; 
And ye ne'er bore that son, ladie. 
We wad lay our love on. 

* Ben — inner apartment, f £riku—eu joy. | Gar—cause. 



70 

But we will cow* our yellow locks, 

A little abune our breef, 
And we will on to gude green wud, 

And serve for meat and fee. 

And we will kiltf our gay claithing 

A little below the knee; 
And we will on to gude greenwud, 

Gif§ Robin Hood we see. 

And we will change our ain twa names, 
Whan we gae fraeH the toun, — 

The tane^ we will call Nicholas, 
The tither** Rogee Roun." 

Then they hae cow'd their yellow locks, 

A little abune their bree; 
And they are on to gude greenwud. 

To serve for meat and fee. 



* Cow — clip. f Abune our bree — above our brow. 

^ ITilt— tuck. § Gif—if. II Gaefrae—go from. 

f Tane— one. ** Tither—oi\iz\: 



71 



And they hae kilt their gay claithing, 

A little below their knee, 
And they are on to gude greenwud, 

Gif Robin Hood they see. 

And they hae chang'd their ain twa names, 
Whan they gaed* frae the toun; — 

The tane they've called Nicholas, 
The tither Rogee Roun. 

And they hae staid in gude greenwud, 
And never a day thoucht lang. 

Till it fell ance upon a day, 
That Rogee sang a sang. 

"Whan we were in our father's bouer, 
We sew'd the silken seam; 
But now we walk the gude greenwud. 
And bear anither name. 

When we were in our father's ha', 

We wore the beaten gold; 
But now we wear the shield sae sharp, — 

Alas ! we'll die with cold !" 

* Gaed — went. 



72 

Then up bespak him Robin Hood, 

As he to them drew near, — 

" Instead of boys to carry the bow, 

Two ladies weVe got here !" 

So they had not been in gud greenwud, 

A twalmonth and a day, 
Till Rogee Roun was as big wi' bairn, 

As onie lady could gae. 

" O wae be to my stepmother, 
That garr'd me leave my hame. 
For I'm wi' bairn to Robin Hood, 
And near nine month is gane. 

" O wha will be my bouer-woman* — 
Na boner- woman is here! 
O wha will be my bouer-woman. 
Whan that sad time draws near ! 



Bouer- wowiaw— attendant. 



73 



The tane was wedded to Robin Hood, 
And the tither to Little John; — 

And it was a' owing to their step- mother 
That garr'd them leave their hame. 



THE GARDENER. 



This ballad contains some beautiful poetical allu- 
sions, and seems to he of an ancient cast. The two last 
lines of each stanza are repexited in singing. 



The gardener stands in his bouer door, 
Wi* a primrose in his hand, 

And bye there cam a leal* maiden. 
As jimpf as a willow wand; 

And bye there cam a leal maiden. 
As jimp as a willow wand. 

" O ladie can ye fancy me, 
For to be my bride; 

*Leal — truK. f Jimp — slender. 



75 

Ye*se get a' the flowers in my garden, 
To be to you a weed.* 

The lily white sail be your smock, 

It becomes your body best ; 
Your head sail be busktf wi' gelly-flower, 

Wi' the primrose in your breist. 

Your gown sail be the Sweet William; 

Your coat the camovine;| 
Your apron o' the sallads neat, 

That taste baith sweet and fine. 

Your hose sail be the brade kail-blade§, 
That is baith brade and lang; 

Narrow, narrow, at the cute, |) 
And brade, brade at the brawn. 

Your gloves sail be the marigold, 
All glittering to your hand. 



* Weed — dress, f Buskt — decked. \ Cawoume— camomile. 
§ Brade kail-blade — broad leaf of cole wort. || C?<^e— ancle. 



76 

Weel spread owre wi' the blue blaewort* 
That grows amang corn-land." 

O fare ye well, young man, she says. 

Farewell, and I bid adieu; 
Sin ye've provided a weed for me 

Amang the simmer flowers, 
It's I'se provide anither for you, 

Amang the winter-showers : 

The new fawn snaw to be your smock, 

It becomes your bodie best; 
Your head sail be wrapt wi' the eastern wind, 

And the cauld rain on your breist. 



* Blaewort—hlae bottle. 



JOHNIE BUNEFTAN. 



In the " Minstrelsy Ancient and Modern," pub- 
lished at Glasgow, is a ballad under the title of 
'' Johnie Scot," on the same subject as the pre- 
sent. The editor of that work observes, that 
he made use of " three recited copies," in form- 
ing that ballad, which, though they did " not 
exactly correspond with each other," differ on- 
ly in numerous, though " trivial, verbal discre- 
pancies." In two of these versions the hero is 
styled Johnie Scot, while the third calls him 
Johnie M'Nachtan. The present copy, (com- 
posed from two separate recited versions ob- 
tained in the north and west), differs in many 
particulars from Johnie Scot 



JOHNIE BUNEFTAN. 



JoHNiE is up to London gane. 
Three quarters o' the year; 

And he is up to London gane, 
The king's banner for to bear. 

He had na been in fair London, 
A twahnonth and a while. 

Till the king's ae dochter, 
To Johnie gangs wi' child. 



O word is to the queen hersel, | 

In parlour where she sat, 
That the king's ae dochter goes wi' child 

To Jack that little Scot. 

O word is to the kitchen gane, 
And word is to the ha,' 



79 

And word is to the king himsel, 
Amang his nobles a'. 

O word is to the king himsel. 
And an angry man was he; — 
" I will put her in cold prison, 
And hunger her till she die." 

The ladie was laid in cold prison, 
By the king a grievous man ; — 

And up and starts a little boy 
Upon her window stane. — 

" Here is a silken shift ladie, 

Your ane hand sew'd the sleeve, 
And ye maun gang to yon greenwud, 
Of your friends spier* na leave." — 

" O my bo^er is very high. 
It's weel wall'd round about. 

My feet are lock'd in iron fetters. 
And how can I get out ! 

* .Spier— ask. 



80 

But I will write a brade letter, 

And seal it tenderlie; 
And I'll send it to yon greenwud, 

And let young Johnie see ; 

That my bouer is very high, 

It's a' weel wall'd about; 
My feet are in the fetters Strang, 

My body looking out. 

My garters are of cold iron. 

And they are very cold; 
My breist-plate is o' the sturdy steel, 

Instead o' the beaten gold." 

When Johnie look'd the letter on, 
A licht lauch then gied he; 

But e'er he read it till an end. 
The tear blindit his ee. 

O Johnie's to his father gane. 
And till him he did say: — 
" I maun up to London, father, 
And fecht* for that lady gay." 

* J'gcAf— fight. 



81 



His father spak but ae word — 
Says, " I speak it in time, 

For an ye gang to London, Johnie, 
I fear your coming hame." — 

" But I maun up to London gang, 
Whatever me betide, 
And louse* her out o' prison Strang, — 
She lay last by my side." 

Up bespak Johnie's ae best man, 
That stood by Johnie's knee — 
" Ye'se get twenty four o' my best men 
To bear ye companie." 

And out and spak anither youth. 
And a prettyf youth was he — 
" Afore I see young Johnie dungf , 
I'll fecht for him till I die." 

Whan Johnie was in his saddle set, 
A pleasant sicht to see! 



* Louse — liberate. -f Pretty — brave. \ Dung — overcome. 
F 



82 

There was iia ae married man 
III Jolmie's eompaiiie! 

The first touu that he cam til. 

He made the mass be sung: 
The neist"^ touu that he cam til, 

He made the bells be rung. 

^Vlien he cam to fair London, 
He made the drums srae round: 

The king and his nobles a'. 
They marvell'd at the sound. 

• Is this the duke of Winesberrie ? 

Or, James the Scottish king? 
Or, is it a young gentleman 
That wants for to be in?" 

• It's na the duke of ^Vinesberrie, 

Nor James tlie Scottish king ; 
But it is a young geutleman, 
Buueftan is his name." 



Xeist — next. 



83 

Then up bespak the king himsel, 
An angry man was he — 
^' The morn,* afore I eat or drink, 
Hie hangit sail he be." 

Synef up spak Johnie's ae best man, 
That stood by Johnie's knee — 
" Afore our master he be slain, 
We'll a' fecht till we die!" 

Then up bespak the king himsel. 
And he spak woundrous hie, — 
" I have an Italian in my court, 
Wha'll fecht ye manfullie." 

" If ye hae an Italian in your court, 
Fu' fain wad I him see; 
If ye hae an Italian in your court, 
Ye may bring him here to me." 

The king and his nobles all 
Went tripping doun the plain. 



The Morn — tomorrow. f Syne — then. 



84 

Wi* the queen and her maries* all, 
To see fair Johnie slain. 

It's even anentf the prison door 

The battle did begin, — 

* # * * 

* * * 

They foucht up, and they foucht doun, 
Wr swerds o' tempered steel, 

Till Johnie wi' his gude braid swerd,:]: 
Made the Italian for to yield. 

He has wallow'd§ it, he's wallowed it, 
He's wallowed it again — 
" Onie mae o' your Italian dogs. 
That wants for to be slain?" 

He has kicked him with his foot. 
He's kick'd him owre the plain; — 
" Onie mae Italians in your court 
Ye want for to be slain?" — 



* Maries — maids of honour, f Even anent — directly opposite, 
I Braid Swerd — broad sword. § Wallow'd — brandished. 



85 



" A clerk ! a clerk !" the king cried, 

" To sign her tocher-fee:*" 
" A priest ! a priest !" young Johnie cried, 

" To marry her and me! 

For I want nane o' your gowd, 

Nor nane o' your fee, 
I only want your fair dochter, 

IVe won her manfullie." 

He's set a horn until his mouth. 
And blawn baith loud and shill;f 

The victor's doun to Scotland gane 
Richt sair against their will. 



* Tocher-fee — marriage portion, 
t Shill-^hvWl. 



NOTES 



ON 



JOHNIE BUNEFTAN. 



Till the king's ae dochter 

To Johnie gangs wi child, — p. 78, v. 2. 

The " Earl Percy's ae daughter" is the heroine m 
the ballad of " Johnie Scot." 

Is this the duke of Winesberrie, 

Or James the Scottish King?—^. 82, v. 21. 

In all the copies of this ballad, there is great confu- 
sion with regard to the titles of the different characters, 
particularly of these high potentates. In the versions 
recovered by the Editor of Johnie Scot, they are vari- 
ously termed Uuke of York, King of Aulsberry, King 
of Spain, and Duke of Mulberry. But which of these 
is the proper title, it is impossible to determine, and 
is in fact, of little consequence. — But it may be doub- 
ted whether the title of Duke of Winesberrie be 



87 



fictitious He appears not to have been the only one 
who bore the name of Wiiiesberrie ; for the reader will 
find on p. 89, a ballad under the title of " Lord Tho- 
mas of Winesberrie." From the similarity of the two 
titles one would be apt to imagine Winesberrie to be 
the same with Queensberry, 

" 1 have an Italian in my court." -r-ip. 83, v. 23. 

In Johnie Scot the champion is called the " Tail- 
liant:" a word which, the editor of that ballad says, is 
an evident derivative from the French verb Taillader. 
The learned editor having never met with the word 
Tailliant before, (and it would have been singailar if 
he had), and knowing that the champion's trade was 
fighting, naturally seized upon the French verb tailla- 
der, "to cut or slash," as it's etymon. But tailliant is 
in fact, nothing else but a corruption of Italian, in the 
recitation of the old people from whom he procured his 
versions. 

It is an historical fact, that anciently, prize-fighters 
were attendants on every court in Europe ; and Italy 
produced the greatest number of these bravoes, whose 
swords were always at the command of wealth, either 
for open combat, or secret murder. The Italian prize- 
fighters, tho' eminent for their skill and dexterity in 
the use of their weapons, often met with their match ; 
and Johnie Buneftan was not the only Scot, whose 

" gude braid swerd 



Made the Italian for to yield.' 



88 



Sir Thomas Urquhart, in his life of '' The Admirable 
Crichton," relates, that there was at "the court of 
Mantua a certaine Italian gentleman, of a mighty, able, 
strong, nimble, and vigorous body, by nature fierce, 
cruel, warlike, and audacious, and in the gladiatory art 
so superlatively expert and dextrous, that all the most 
skilful teachers of escrime, and fencing-masters of Italy 
(which in matter of choice professors in that faculty 
needed never as yet to yield to any nation in the world) 
were by him beaten to their good behaviour, and, by 
blows and thrusts given in, which they could not 
avoid, enforced to acknowledge him their overcom- 
er." — After proving victorious in every combat, this 
bravo was at last challenged by Crichton, who encoun- 
tered him in presence of the assembled Court of 
Mantua, and after coolly sustaining and parrying his 
violent assaults till his strength was exhausted, he be- 
came in his turn the assailant, and passed his sword 
thrice through the body of the Italian. 



LORD THOMAS OF WINESBERRIE. 



From the striking similarity of some of the in- 
cidents detailed in this ballad, to those related 
by Pitscottie to have occurred in the secret expe- 
dition of James V. to France, in 1536, in search 
of a wife, a strong presumption arises that it re- 
lates to that event. — The title of " Lord Thomas 
of Winesberrie," seems to have been assumed, 
since in the conclusion of the ballad the hero 
turns out to be king of Scotland. Pitscottie 
informs us, that when James, in that expedition, 
went to visit the duke of Vendome's daughter, 
to whom he was in some measure betrothed, he 
"would not shew himselff opinlie at that tyme, 
hot disguysed hi?nselfa.s he had beine ane serwant, 
to be vnknawin to the duik or his wayiF, or the 



90 



gentlvoman who sould have beine his spous, 
thinkancl to spy hir pulchritud [beauty] and 
behaviour vnkend be hir." Although " monie 
love tokines" had passed between them, the 
lady, it would seem, did not please his fancy; — 
" Thairfoir the king past in haist to the king of 
France, [Francis I.] quhair he was for the tyme 
at hunting, accompanied with his wayff, his 
sone, and his dochter, with many vther lustie 
ladies, besydis duikis, earles, lordis, and bar- 
rones." There James met Magdalene, Francis's 
eldest daughter, who was at that time in a very 
sickly state of health: — " Yitt notwithstanding 
all hir seiknes and malice [malady], fra tyme 
shoe saw the king of Scotland, and spak with 
him, shoe became so enamoured with him, and 
loved him so weill, that shoe wold have no man 
alive to hir husband, hot he allanerlie, [alone] 
quhairof the covnsallis both of Scotland and 
France lyked nothing thairof: for thai war cer- 
tified be doctoris and physitianes, that no suc- 
cessioun wold cum of hir bodie be reasoun of 
hir long seiknes, and that shoe was not able to 
travell out of the real me to no other countrie, 



91 



quhilk if shoe didj shoe wold not have long 
dayes." — Chronicles of Scotland, 8vo, vol. 2, p. 
363 et seq. The princess, was, however, mar- 
ried to James; but the prognostications of her 
physicians were soon realized, for she died about 
forty days after her arrival in Scotland. 

Whether this ballad be in reality founded on 
the above mentioned expedition, the Editor will 
not pretend to decide; but he may remark that 
the circumstances attending it were sufficiently 
romantic for such a composition. 



LORD THOMAS OF WINESBERRIE. 



It fell upon a time, when the proud king of France 
Went a hunting for five months and more, 

That his dochter fell in love with Thomas of 
From Scotland newly come o'er. [ Winesherrie, 

Whan her father cam hame frae hunting the deer, 

And his dochter before him cam, 
Her belly it was big, and her twa sides round, 

And her fair colour was wan^ 

" What ails thee, what ails thee, my dochter Janet, 

What maks thee to look sae wan? 
Ye've either been sick, and very, very sick, 
Or else ye hae lain wi' a man." 



93 



*' Ye're welcome, ye're welcome, dear father," she 
" Ye're welcome hame to your aiii, [says, 

For I hae been sick, and very, very sick, 
Thinking lang for your coming hame. 

" O pardon, O pardon, dear father," she says, 

A pardon ye'll grant me." 
" Na pardon, na pardon, my dochter," he says, 
" Na pardon I'll gi'ant thee. 

" O is it to a man of micht, 
Or to a man of mean? 
Or is it to onie of thae rank robbers. 
That I sent hame frae Spain ?" 

"It is not to a man of micht. 

Nor to a man of mean; 
But it is to Thomas o' Winesberrie, 
And for him I suffer pain." 

" If it be to Thomas o' Winesberrie, 
As I trust well it be. 
Before I either eat or drink, 
Hie hangit sail he be.'* 



94 



Whan this boniiie boy was brought afore the king, 

His claithing was o' the silk, 
His fine yellow hair hang dangling doun, 

And his skin was like the milk. 

"Na wonder, na wonder, Lord Thomas," he says, 
My dochter fell in love wi' thee, 
For if I war a woman, as I am a man, 
My bed-fellow ye shou'd be ! 

Then will ye marry my dochter Janet, 

To be heir to a' my land; 
O will ye marry my dochter Janet, 

Wi' the truth o' your richt hand?" 

" I will marry your dochter Janet, 
Wi' the truth o' my richt hand ; 
I'll hae nane o' your gowd, nor yet o' your gear, 
I've eneuch in fair Scotland. 

" But I will marry your dochter Janet,— 

I care na for your land, 
For she's be a queen, and I a king. 
Whan we come to fair Scotland." 



SWEET WILLIE. 



Mr. Ritson has pablished an English ballad of 
twenty-eight stanzas, under the title of " The 
Lady turned Serving-man," which is apparently 
the original of Sweet Willie. He says, "it is 
given from a written copy, containing some im- 
provements, perhaps modern ones, upon the 
popular ballad, intitled ' The famous Flower of 
Serving-men: or the Lady turned Serving- 
man,' " vol. 3, p. 346. The reader is here pre- 
sented with this ballad in a Scottish dress, as 
taken down from the recitation of an old woman 
in Lanark, though it is considerably mutilated 
and changed from its original text. 



«( 



SWEET WILLIE. 



"My husband builded me a bouer, 
He builded it safe and secure, 
But there cam four thieves in the nicht, 
An4 brak my bouer, and slew my knicht. 

And after that my knicht was slain. 
My servants a' frae me war gane, 
And na langer there could I remain. 

Then withall I cut my hair, 
And dress'd mysel in man's attire; 
With doublet, hose, and beaver hat, 
And a gold chain about my neck. 



97 

Unto the king's court I did go, 
My love and beauty for to show; 
For man's ser^^ce I did enquire, 
And I was not denied there. 

"Stand up, brave youth," the king he cried, 
"Your service shall not be denied; 

But first tell me what ye can do, 

And I will put you thereunto. 

Will ye be tapster of my wine 
To wait on me whan I'm at dine? 
Or will ye be governor of my ha' 
To attend on me and my nobles a'? 

Or will ye be my chamberline 
My bed to mak so soft and fine?" 
"My liege, the king, if it please thee, 
Thy chamberline fain wad I be." 

The king he to the hunting did gang, 
And left nane wi' her but ae auld man ; 
She took a lute and play'd upon. 






98 



She said, " My father was as gi*de a lord. 
As ever Scotland did afford; 
My mother was a lady bricht; 
My husband was a gallant knicht: 

But there cam four thieves in the nicht, 
And brak my bouer, and slew my knicht; 
And ever that my knicht was slain, 
Na langer there could I remain. 

And unto this hall I did go. 
My love and beauty for to show ; 
For man's service I did enquire. 
And I was not denied here." 

The king he frae the hunting cam, — 
He said, " What news, my gude auld man?" 
"Gude news, gude news, the auld man did say, 
For sweet Willie is a lady gay !" 

" O if thy words they do prove true, 
I'll mak thee a man o* high degree; 
But if thy words do prove a lee, 
I'll tak and hang ye on a tree. 

* Lee — lie. 



-5 



99 



Skill was fushen,* and that manie, 
And sweet Willie was found a gay ladie; 
And word spread through the warld round 
That sweet Willie, a lady was found. 

The like before was never ken'd nor seen, 
A servant-man to become a queen ! 



SkiU was fushen — evidence was brought. 



THE BONNIE HOUSE OF AIRLY. 



During the momentous struggle which existed 
between Charles I. and the people, no family in 
Scotland showed more devotion, or adhered more 
firmly, to the royal cause than that of Ogilvie of 
Airly. On acount of this attachment, that fa- 
mily was looked upon as inimicahle to the cove- 
nanting party, whose principles were at that time 
decidedly hostile to monarchical government. 
The Earl of Airly, having, in consequence, with- 
drawn himself from Scotland, was proscribed, 
and his lands and castles plundered and burnt 
in July, 1640. The present ballad is founded 
upon that event, the particulars of which are 
thus detailed by Spalding. 

" The Earl of Airly went from home to Eng- 
and, fearing the troubles of the land, and that 



101 



he should be pressed to subscribe the covenant, 
whether he would or not, whilk by fleeing the 
land he resolved to eschew as well as he could, 
and left his eldest son, the Lord Ogilvie, a brave 
young nobleman, behind him at home. The 
estates or tables hearing of his departure, di- 
rected the Earls of Montrose and Kinghorn to 
go to the place of Airly, and to take in the same, 
and for that effect to carry cartows [cannon] 
with them ; who went and summoned the Lord 
Ogilvie to render the house, (being an impreg- 
nable strength by nature, well manned with all 
sort of munition and provision necessary,) who 
answered, his father was absent, and he left no 
such commission with him as to render his house 
to any subjects, and that he would defend the 
samen to his power, till his father returned from 
England. There were some shots shot the 
house, and same from the house; but the assail- 
ants finding the place unwinnable, by nature of 
great strength, without great skaith, left the 
place without meikle loss on either side; then 
departed therefrae in June. 



102 



"Now the committee of estates finding no con- 
tentment in this expedition, and hearing how 
their friends of the name of Forbes, and others 
in the coimtry, were daily injured and opprest 
by Highland lymmers, broken out of Lochaber, 
Clangregor out of Brae of Athol, Brae of Mar, 
and divers other places, therefore they gave or- 
der to the Earl of Argyle to raise men out of 
his own country, and first to go to Airly and 
Furtour, two of the Earl of Airly's principal 
houses, and to take in and destroy the same, 
and next to go upon thir lymmers and punish 
them; likeas, conform to his order, he raises an 
army of about five thousand men, and marches 
towards Airly; but the Lord Ogilvie hearing 
of his coming with such irresistible force, re- 
solves to flee and leave the house manless; and 
so for their own safety they wisely fled; but 
Argyle most cruelly and inhumanely enters the 
house of Airly, and beats the same to the ground, 
and right sua he does to Furtour, syne spoiled 
all within both houses, and such as could not 
be carried [away], they masterfully brake down 
and destroyed. Thereafter they fall to his 



lOS 

ground, plundered, robbed, and took away from 
himself, his men, tenants, and servants, their 
haill goods and gear, corns and cattle whatsom- 
ever that they could get, and left nothing but 
bare bounds, as sic as they could carry away 
with them, and what could not be destroyed, 
they despitefully burnt up by fire." — Troubles 
in Scotland, vol. 1, p. 22T. 

Various versions of this ballad have been pub- 
lished; but it does not appear that the present 
copy, which differs very materially from the 
others, has ever been printed. 



THE BONNIE HOUSE OF AIRLY. 



O gley'd Argyll has written to Montrose, 
To see gin the fields they war fairly; 

And to see whether he shou'd stay at hame, 
Or come to plunder bonnie Airly. 

The great Montrose has written to Argyll, 
And that the fields they were fairly. 

And no to keep his men at hame, 
But come and plunder bonnie Airly. 

The lady was looking oure the castle wa', 
She was carrying her courage sae rarely, 

And there she spied him, gley'd Argyll, 
Coming for to plunder bonnie Airly. 



'3 



105 

" Wae be to ye, gley^d Argyll. 
And are ye there sae rarely? 
Ye micht liae kept your men at hame. 
And no come to plunder bonnie Airly." 

"And wae be to ye. Lady Ogilvie, 
And are ye there sae rarely? 
Gin ye had bow'd whan first I bade,* 
I never wad hae plundered bonnie Airly." 

"O gin my gude Lord had been at hame. 
As he is wi' prince Charlie, 
There durst na a rebel on a' Scottish grund 
Set a foot on the bonnie green o' Airly. 

"But ye'll tak me by the milk-white liand. 
And ye'll lift me up sae rarely; 
And ye'll throw me out oure my ain castle wa', 
Lat me never see the burning o' Airly." 

He has tane her by the milk-white hand, 
And he has lifted her up sae rarely, 

* Bow'd ichau first 1 bade — yielded to my proposals. 



106 

He has thrown her out oure her ain castle wa', 
And she never saw the plundering o' Au'ly. 

Now gley'd Argyll he has gane hame, 
Awa frae the plundering o' Airly, 

And there he has met wi' Captain Ogilvie, 
Coming over the mountains sae rarely. 

"O wae he to ye, gley'd Argyll, 

And are ye there sae rarely, 
Ye micht hae kept your men at hame, 

And na gane to plunder honnie Airly." 

"O wae he to ye. Captain Ogilvie, 
And are ye there sae rarely? 
Gin ye had bow'd whan first I bade, 

I never wad hae plundered honnie Airly." 

"But gin I had my lady gay, 
Bot and my sister Mary, 
Ae fig I wadna gie for ye a', 

Nor yet for the plundering o' Airly." 



NOTES 



BONNIE HOUSE OF AIRLY. 



O gley d Argyll has written to Montrose — p. 104, v. 1. 

The soubriquet of " Gley'd Argyll" was given to the 
Marquis from his having a squint or cast in his eyes. 
This defect is noticed by the author of Waverly, who 
describes him in " The Legend of Montrose," as hav- 
ing a " cast with his eyes, which had procured him in 
the Highlands the nick-name of Gillespie Grumach 
(or the gi'im)." 

The great Montrose has rvriiten to Argyll. — p. lO^, v. 2. 

Though the greatest and most brilliant of his war- 
like achievements were performed for the sinking cause 



108 



of Royalty; yet '• Sometimes James Marquis of Mon- 
trose sided with the Covenanters in Scotland, and very 
forwardly bestowed his unhappily happy endeavours in 
their behoof. They pretended to nothing then, less 
than the preservation of religion, the honour and dig- 
nity of the king, the laws of the land, and the freedom 
of that ancient realm, so happily, so valiantly defended 
in the time of yore, from such powerful enemies as the 
Romans, Saxons, Danes, Normans, by the sweat and 
blood, with the lives and estates, of their ancestors. 
But, at last, in the year 1639, Montrose found out that 
these fair tales were coyn'd of purpose to steal the 
hearts of the silly and superstitious multitude, and to 
alienate them from the king, as an enemy to religion 
and liberty. For the Covenanters did not dissemble 
to him, but spoke out, that Scotland had been too 
long governed by kings ; nor could it ever be well with 
them as long as one Stewart (that's the sirname of the 
king's family in Scotland) was alive : and in the extir- 
pation of them, they were first to strike at the head; 
so that Montrose easily perceived the king's majesty 
and person was levelled at. Therefore, vehemently 
detesting so horrible a crime, he resolved to desert the 
conspirators' side, to frustrate their counsels, to im- 
poverish their store, to weaken their strength, and with 
all his might to preserve his majesty and his authority 
entire and inviolate." — Wisheart's Memoirs of Mon- 
trose, It would appear that it was during the period 
of his unfortunate attachment to the Covenanters, that 
the house of Airly was plundered; for Montrose did 
not desert that party till 1641. 



LORD DONALD. 



This ballad seems to be of an ancient cast: one 
version of it, under the title of Lord Randal, 
has been published in the Border Minstrelsy, 
vol. 2, p. 291. This copy, which was procured 
in the north, differs in many respects from that 
of Lord Randal, and appears to be more com- 
plete in its detail. 

Is the Editor of the Border Minstrelsy seri- 
ous when he says that this ballad, because his 
version bore the title of Lord Randal, " may 
have originally regarded the death of Thomas 
Randolph or Randal, Earl of Murray, nephew 
to Robert Bruce, and governor of Scotland;" 
whose death is attributed by our historians to 
poison, said to have been administered to him 
by a friar, at the instigation of Edward III.? 



LORD DONALD. 



^' O whare hae ye been a' day, Lord Donald, my son? 

O whare hae ye been a' day, my jollie young man?" 
" I Ve been a wa cour tin : — mither , mak my bed sune. 

For Fm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun." 



^'What wad ye hae for your supper, Lord Donald, 
my son? 
What wad ye hae for your supper, my jollie 
young man?" 
*' Fve gotten my supper: — mither,mak my bed sune, 
For Fm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun." 



'' What did ye get for your supper. Lord Donald, 
my son? 
What did ye get for your supper, my jollie young 
man? 



Ill 



"A dish of sma' fishes: — mither, mak my bed siine, 
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun." 



"Whare gat ye the fishes, Lord Donald, my son? 

Whare gat ye the fishes, my joUie young man?" 
"In my father's black ditches: — mither, mak my 
bed sune, 

For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun." 



" What like were your fishes, Lord Donald, my son? 

What like were your fishes, myjollie young man?" 
"Black backs and spreckl'd bellies: — mither, mak 
my bed sune, 

For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun." 



"O I fear ye are poison'd. Lord Donald, my son ! 

O I fear ye are poison'd, my joUie young man !" 
"O yes! I am poison'd: — mither, mak my bed 
sune. 

For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun." 



11^ 

"What will ye leave to your father, Lord Donald, 
my son? 
What will ye leave to your father, my jollie young- 
man?" 
"Baith my houses and land: — mither, mak my bed 

sune, 
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun." 



"What will ye leave to your brither, Lord Do- 
nald, my son? 
What will ye leave to your brither, my jollie 
young man?" 
"My horse and the saddle: — mither, mak my bed 
sune, 
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun." 



*What will ye leave to your sister, Lord Donald, 
my son? 

What will ye leave to your sister, my jollie young- 
man?" 

'Baith my gold box and rings: — mither, mak my 
bed sune. 

For I*m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie doun." 



113 



"What will ye leave to your true-love. Lord Do- 
nald, my son? 
What will ye leave to your true-love, my jollie 
young man?" 
"The tow and the halter, for to hang on yon tree, 
And lat her hang there for the poysoning o' me." 



H 



NOTE 



ON 



LORD DONALD. 



What like were your fishes, myjoUie yourig manf 
Black backs and spreckVd bellies p. Ill, v. 5. 

It would seem that Lord Donald had been poisoned 
by eating toads prepared as a dish of fishes. Though 
the frog is in some countries considered a delicacy, the 
toad has always been viewed as a venomous animal. 
The reader is referred to the Border Minstrelsy, vol. 
1, p. 262 for a curious extract, from a MS. Chronicle 
of England, relative to the death of king John, who is 
said to have been poisoned by drinking a cup of ale, 
in which the venom of a toad had been infused. 

Might not the Scots proverbial phrase '* To gie one 
frogs instead offish,'' as meaning to substitute what is 
bad or disagreeable, for expected good, be viewed as 



115 



allied to the idea of the venomous quality of the toad? 
This phrase occurs in the ballad of Katharine Janfarie: 

" Now a' you lords of fair England, 

And that dwell by the English border, 
Come never here to seek a wife. 
For fear of sic disorder. 

They'll haik ye up, and settle ye bye, 

Till on your wedding day; 
Then gie ye frogs instead of fish. 

And play ye foul, foul play." 



QUEEN JEANIE. 



This ballad relates to the death of the amiable 
Jane Seymour, queen of Henry VIII. of Eng- 
land, who, according to some historians, under- 
went the Caesarean operation, in order to save 
her infant son, Edward VI., of whom she was 
then pregnant. This circumstance, however, 
is differently represented by others, who affirm 
that the birth was natural. Sir John Hayward 
relates, that the young prince was born on the 
17th October, and that ''all reports do con- 
stantly run, that he was not by natural passage 
delivered into the world, but that his mother's 
belly was opened for his birth; and that she died 
of the incision the fourth day following." 

This account is denied by Echard, who says, 
" To crown the king's happiness, not long after, 



117 



upon the twelfth day of October, he had a son 
born at Hampton- Court. — But the joy of his 
birth was much allay'd by the departure of the 
admirable queen, who, contrary to the common 
opinion of many writers, dy'd twelve days after 
the birth of this prince, as appears from unques- 
tionable manuscripts; having been well deliver'd 
and without any incision, as others have mali- 
ciously reported. This was a great affliction 
to the king; for of all his wives, she was the 
dearest and most charming to him; and his grief 
for that loss is given as the reason why he con- 
tinued two years a widower." — Hist, of England^ 
1720, fol. p. 289. 

A few stanzas of this ballad appear in Mr. 
Jamieson's collection, vol. 1, p. 182. 



QUEEN JEANIE. 



Queen Jeanie, queen Jeanie, travel'd six weeks 

and more, 
Till women and midwives had quite gi'en her o'er: 
' O if ye were women, as women should be, 
Ye would send for a doctor, a doctor to me." 



The doctor was called for, and set by her bed- 
side: — 
"What aileth thee, my ladie, thine eyes seem so 
" O doctor, O doctor, will ye do this for me? [red?" 

To rip up my two sides, and save my babie." 



119 

"Queen Jeanie, queen Jeanie, that's the thing I'll 

ne'er do. 
To rip up your two sides to save your babie." 
Queen Jeanie, queen Jeanie, travel 'd six weeks 

and more, 
Till midwives and doctors had quite gi'en her o'er. 



"O if ye were doctors, as doctors should be. 
Ye would send for king Henry, king Henry to me." 
King Henry was called for, and sat by her bed- 
side; — 
"What aileth thee, queen Jeanie, what aileth my 
bride?" 



"King Henry, king Henry, will ye do this for me ? 

To rip up my two sides, and save my babie." 
"Queen Jeanie, queen Jeanie, that's what I'll 
never do. 

To rip up your two sides to save your babie." 



ISO 



But with sighing and sobbing she's fallen in a 

swoon. 
Her side it was rip't up, and her babie was found. 
At this bonnie babie's christ'ning there was mei- 

kle joy and mirth ; 
But bonnie queen Jeanie lies cold in the earth. 



Six and six coaches, and six and six more, 
And royal king Henry went mourning before: 
O two and two gentlemen carried her away; 
But royal king Henry went weeping away. 



O black were their stockings, and black were 

their bands. 
And black were the weapons they held in their 

hands. 
O black were their mufflers, * and black were 

their shoes. 
And black were the cheverons f they drew on 

their luves %. 

* Mufflers — a cloak and hood which mvffled the face, 
f CAcreroMs— gloves. \ Zwt'es— hands, but properly the palms. 



121 



They mourned in the kitchen, and they mourn'd 

in the ha', 
But royal king Henry mourn'd langest of a'. 
Farewell to fair England, farewell for evermore. 
For the fair flower of England will never shine 

more. 



NOTE 



ON 



QUEEN JEANIE. 



Queen Jeanie, queen Jeanie, traveVdsix weeks and more. 

p. 118, V. 1. 

In Mr. Jamieson's version, her indisposition is made 
to last only three days, which is, certainly, the more 
likely time; though all the versions of the ballad, 
(vfhich seems to be popular throughout Scotland,) that 
the Editor has obtained, invariably state its endurance 
to have been six weeks. In an English ballad on the 
death of Queen Jane, inserted in Evan's collection 
vol, 2, p. 54, her labour is said to have been very pro- 
tracted; for 

"The queen in travail, pained sore 
Full thirty woful days and more." 



BONNIE ANNIE. 



There was a rich lord, and he lived in Forfar, 
He had a fair lady, and one only dochter. 
O, she was fair, O dear ! she was honnie, 
A ship's captain courted her to be his honey. 

There cam a ship's captain out owi'e the sea sailing, 
He courted this young thing till he got her wi' 

bairn. — 
" Ye'll steal your father's gowd, and your mother's 

money. 
And I'll mak ye a lady in Ireland bonnie." 

She's stown her father's gowd and her mother's 

money. 
But she was never a lady in Ireland bonnie. 



124 



"There's fey fowk* in our ship, she winna sail for me, 
There's fey fowkin our ship, she winna sail for me." 
They've casten black bullets twice six and forty, 
And ae the black bullet fell on bonnie Annie. 

" Ye'll tak me in your arms twa, lo, lift me cannie, 
Throw me out owre board, your ain dear Annie." 
He has tane her in. his arms twa, lo, lifted her cannie, 
He has laid her on a bed of down, his ain dear 
Annie. 

" What can a woman do, love, I'll do for ye;" 
Muckle can a woman do, ye canna do for me." — 
" Lay about, steer about, lay our ship cannie. 
Do all ye can to save my dear Annie." 

" I've laid about, steer'd about, laid about cannie. 
But all I can do, she winna sail for me. 
Ye'll tak her in your arms twa, lo, lift her cannie, 
And throw her out owre board, your ain dear 
Annie." 



* Fey fowk — people on the verge of death. 



125 



He has tane her in his arms twa, lo, lifted her 

cannie, 
He has thrown her out owre board, his ain dear 

Annie. 
As the ship sailed, bonnie Annie she swam, 
And she was at Ireland as soon as them. 

He made his love a coffin off the Goats of Yerrow, 
And buried his bonnie love doun in a sea valley. 



NOTES 



ON 



BONNIE ANNIE. 



There s fey foiok in our ship, she winna sail for me, — 

p. 124, V. ^. 
There is a prevalent belief among sea-faring people, 
that, if a person who has committed any heinous crime 
be on ship-board, the vessel, as if conscious of its guilty 
ourden, becomes unmanageable, and will not sail till 
the offender be removed: to discover whom, they 
usually resort to the trial of those on board, by casting 
lots; and the individual upon whom the lot falls is de- 
clared the criminal, it being believed that Divine Pro- 
vidence interposes in this manner to point out the 
guilty person. 

He made his love a coffin off the Goats of Yerrow. — 

p. 126, V. 8. 
It would be diflBcult to ascertain where Yerrow is 
situated; it would seem, however, to be on the sea- 
coast, as " Gootfi" signifies inlets where the sea enters. 



THE DUKE OF ATHOL'S NOURICE. 



As I cam in by AthoPs yetts,* 

I heard a fair maid singing; — 
" I am the Duke o' Athol's nourice, 

And I wat it weel does set me; 
And I wad gie a' my half-year's fee, 

For ae sicht o' my Johnie." — 

" Keep weelj keep weel, your half-year's fee, 
For ye'll soon get a sicht o* your Johnie; 

But anither woman has my heart, 
And I am sorry for to leave ye." 

" Ye'll dow ye dounf to yon change-house, :j: 
And drink till the day be da wing; 

At ilka pint's end ye'll drink the lass' health, 
That's coming to pay the lawing."§ 



* Vetts — gates. f Dow ye doun — go your way. 

\ Change-house — tavern. § Lauring — tavern bill. 



128 

He hied him doun to yon change-house, 
And he drank till the day was da wing; 

And at ilka pint's end he drank the lass' health, 
That was coming to pay for his lawing. 

Aye he ranted, and aye he sang, 

And drank till the day was da wing; 

And aye he drank the bonnie lass' health. 
That was coming to pay the lawing. 

He spared na the sack, though it was dear, 
The wine, nor the sugar-candy; 



He has dune* him to the shot-window,f 

To see gin she war coming; 
There he saw the duke and a' his merry men, 

That oure the hill cam rinning. 

He has dune him to the landlady, 
To see gin she wad protect him, — 

* Dune — pret. of dow. \ Shot'window--'a, projecting window. 



129 

She buskit* him up into woman's claise,f 
And set him till a baking. 

Sae loudlie as they rappit at the yett, 
Sae loudlie as they war calling; — 

" Had ye a young man here yestreen 
That drank till the day was dawing?" 

" He drank but ae pint, and he paid it orj he went, 
And ye've na mair to do wi' the lawing." — 

They searchit the house a' round and round, 
And they spared na the curtains to tear them; 

While the Landlady stood upo' the stair-head, 
Crying, " Maid, be busy at your baking." 

They gaed as they cam, and left a' undone. 
And left the bonnie maid at her baking. 

* B2isk{t—di'ess,ed. f Claise — clothes. \ Or — before. 



NOTE 



DUKE OF ATHOL'S NOURICE. 



He spared na the sack, though it was dear, 
The wine, nor the sugar candy. — p. 128, v. 6. 
The manner of living among the Scots, in the end of 
the sixteenth century, is curiously, though accurately 
described by an Englishman who visited Edinburgh in 
the year 1593 — Speaking of their drinking, and the 
use of confections in their wine, he says, " They drinke 
pure wines, not with sugar as the English ; yet at feasts 
they put comfits in the wine, after the French manner, 
but they had not our vinteners fraud to mixe their 
wines." — Moryson's Itinerary, Part III. p. 135. 



THE PROVOST'S DOCHTER. 



The term Provost does not mean the chief magistrate 
of a city, but the Provost-marshal ; an officer who had 
the custody of prisoners of war, and other offenders. 



The Provost's dochter went out a walking — 

A may's love whiles is easie won ! 
She heard a puir prisoner making his meane;* — 

And she was the fair flow'r o' Northumberland. 

" Gif onie ladie wad borrow mef 

Out into J this prison Strang, 
I wad mak her a ladie o' hie degree, 

For I am a gret lord in fair Scotland." 



jlfeawe— complaint, f Borrow me — become surety for me. 
\ Out into — A common Scoticism for out of. 



132 



She has dune* her to her father's hed-stock, — 

A may's love whiles is easie won ! 
She has stown the keys o' monie brawf lock. 

And she has lows'dj him out o' prison Strang. 

She has dune her to her father's stable, — 
A may's love whiles is easie won ! 

She has tane out a steed, baith swift and able, 
To carry them baith to fair Scotland. 

Whan they cam to the Scottish corss,§ — 
A may's love whiles is easie won ! 

" Ye brazen-faced hure,|l licht aff o' my horse; 
And go, get ye back to Northumberland." 

Whan they cam to the Scottish muir, — 
A may's love whiles is easie won ! 

" Get aff o' my horse, ye brazen-fac'd hme, 
So, go, get ye back to Northumberland." 

" O pity on me ! O pity ! said she, 
O ! that my love was so easie won; 

* Dune — gone. f ^mw— strong. f Xqmjs'c?-— freed. 
§ Corss — cross. j| Mure — whore. 



13S 

Have pity on me, as I had upon thee, 
Wlian I lows'd ye out o' prison Strang." 

" O how can I hae pity on thee; 

O why was your love sae easie won? 
Whan I hae a wife and children three, 

Mair worthy than a' in Northumberland." 

" Cook in your kitchen I will be, — 
O that my love was sae easie won ! 

And serve your lady maist reverentlie, 

For I darna gang back to Northumberland." 

" Cook in my kitchen, ye sail not be, — 
Why was your love so easie won? 

For I will hae na sic* servants as thee^ 
So, get ye back to Northumberland." 

But laith was he the lassie to tyne,f — 
A may's love whiles is easie won ! 

He hired an auld horse, and fee'd an auld man, 
To carry her back to Northumberland. 



* Sic— such. f Tywe — lose. 



134 

Whan she cam her father afore, — 

A may's love whiles is easie won ! 
She fell at his feet on her knees sae low, — 

She was the fair flow'r o' Northumherland. 

" O dochter, dochter, why was ye bauld, — 
O why was your love sae easie won ! 

To be a Scot's hure in your fifteen year auld, 
And ye the fair flow'r o' Northumberland." 

Her mother on her sae gentlie smil'd, — 
" O that her love was sae easie won ! 

She's na the first that the Scots hae beguil'd, 
And she's still the fair flow'r o' Northumberland. 

" She shanna want gowd, she shanna want fee, 

Although her love was easie won; 
She shanna want gowd, to gain a man wi'. 

And she'll still be the fair flow'r o' Northum- 
berland." 



HYNDE HORN. 



This ballad was recovered from recitation 
in the north; and though it cannot boast of 
much poetical merit, yet it has a claim to pre- 
servation, from its being undoubtedly a frag- 
ment, though a mutilated one, of the ancient 
English metrical romance of Ki7ig Horn, or 
Home Childe and Maiden Bymenild; whose 
stoiy is thus detailed by Warton : — 

" Mury, king of the Saracens, lands in the 
kingdom of Sudden e, where he kills the king 
named Allof. The queen, Godylt, escapes; but 
Mary seizes on her son Home, a beautiful youth 
aged fifteen years, and puts him into a galley, 
with two of his playfellows, Athulph and Fy- 
kenyld: the vessel being driven on the coast of 



136 

the kingdom of Westnesse, the young prince is 
found by Aylmer, king of that country, brought 
to court and delivered to Athelbras his steward, 
to be educated in hawking, harping, tilting, and 
other courtly accomplishments. Here the 
princess Rymenild falls in love with him, de- 
clares her passion, and is betrothed. Home, 
in consequence of this engagement, leaves the 
princess for seven years; to demonstrate, accord- 
ing to the ritual of chivalry, that by seeking 
and accomplishing dangerous enterprises he de- 
served her affection. He proves a most valor- 
ous and invincible knight; and at the end of 
seven years having killed king Mury, recovered 
his father's kingdom, and achieved many sig- 
nal exploits, recovers the princess Rymenild 
from the hands of his treacherous knight and 
companion Fykenyld; carries her in triumph to 
his own country, and there reigns with her in 
great splendour and prosperity." — Hist of En- 
glish Poetry^ 8vo. vol. 1, p. 40. 

This fragment, even in its mutilated state, 
still retains the couplet measure of the romance, 
though it is otherwise greatly altered from its 



137 

ancient text. It appears, however, to relate to 
that part of the romance where Horn, after be- 
ing betrothed to the princess, departs in quest 
of adventures, and returns after the lapse of 
his probationary exile, when he recovers the 
princess from the hands of his rival. 



HYNDE HORN. 



" Hynde Horn's bound, love, and Hynde Horn's 

free ; 
Whare was ye born? or in what countrle?" 
**In gude green wud whare I was born, 
And all my friends left me forlorn. 

" I gave my love a silver wand, 
That was to rule oure all Scotland. 
My love gave me a gay gowd ring, 
That was to rule abune a' thing. 

" As lang as that ring keeps new in hue, 

Ye may ken that your love loves you: 

But whan that ring turns pale and wan, 

Ye may ken that your love loves anither man." 



139 

He hoisted up his sails, and away sailed he, 
Till that he cam to a foreign countrie : 
He looked at his ring, it was turn'd pale and wan, 
He said, " I wish I war at hame again." 

He hoisted up his sails, and hame sailed Jie, 
Until that he cam to his ain countrie. 
The first ane that he met wi' 
Was wi' a puir auld beggar man. 

" What news, what news, my silly auld man, 
What news hae ye got to tell to me?" 
" Na news, na news," the puir man did say^ 
"But this is our queen's wedding day." 

" Ye'll lend me your begging weed. 
And I'll gie you my riding steed." 
*' My begging weed is na for thee. 
Your riding steed is na for me." 

But he has changed wi' the beggar man, 

* * * * 

"Which is the gate* that ye used to gae? 
And what are the words ye beg Avi'?" 

* Gate — way. 



140 

" Whan ye come to yon high hill, 
Ye'll draw your bent bow nigh until; 
Whan ye come to yonder town, 
Ye'U let your bent bow low fall down : 

" Ye'll seek meat for St. Peter, ask for St. Paul, 
And seek for the sake of Hynde Horn all; 
But tak ye frae nane of them a', 
Till ye get frae the bonnie bride hersel O." 

Whan he cam to yon high hill. 
He drew his bent bow nigh until; 
And whan he cam to yonder town. 
He lute* his bent bow low fall down. 

He sought meat for St. Peter, he ask'd for St. 

Paul, 
And he sought for the sake of Hynde Horn all; 
But he would tak frae nane o' them a', 
Till he got frae the bonnie bride hersel O. 



* iwfe— let. 



141 

The bride cam trippiug douii tlie stair, 
Wi' the scales o' red gowd ou her hair; 
Wi' a glass of red wine in her hand^ 
To gie to the puir auid beggar maii. 

It's out he drank the glass o' wine, 
And into the glass he dropt the ring. 
" Got ye't by sea, or got ye't by land, 
Or got ye't aff a drown'd man's hand?" 

" I got na't by sea, I got na't by land, 
Nor got I it aff a drown'd man's hand; 
But I got it at my wooing. 
And I'll gie it at your wedding." 

" I'll tak the scales o' gowd frae my liead, 
I'll follow you, and beg my bread: 
I'll tak the scales of gowd frae my hair, 
I'll follow you for evermair." 

She has tane the scales o' gowd frae her head, 
She has followed him to beg her bread : 
She has tane the scales o' gowd frae her hair, 
And she has followed him for evermair. 



14^ 

But at ween the kitchen and the ha', 

There he lute his cloutie* cloak fa'; 

And the red gowd shined oure him a'. 

And the bride frae the bridegroom was stownf awa^ 

* C/butt«— patched. f Stown — stolen. 



NOTE 



ON 



HYNDE HORN. 



As lang as that ring keeps new in hue, 

Ye may ken that your love loves you. — p, 138, v. 3. 

The belief in sympathetic talismans appears to have 
emanated from the East, where certain stones, rings, 
&c. are believed to be endued, by magical operations, 
with the power of showing, through sympathy, the fate 
of their owner, though in a distant country. Thus we 
find the Eastern Tales to be full of such conceits: In 
the story of the Three Sistei's, prince Bahraan, before 
proceeding on his perilous journey in search of the 
Talking Bird, Singing Tree, and Golden Water, pre- 
sents to his sister a knife possessing this virtue. " Bah- 
man, pulling a knife from his vest-band, and present- 
ing it in the sheath to the princess, said, ' Take this 



144 



knife, sister, and give yourself the trouble sometimes 
to pull it out of the sheath ; while you see it clear as 
it is now, it will be a sign that I am alive ; but if you 
find it stained with blood, then you may believe me 
dead, and indulge me with your prayers." Bahman 
having perished in his adventure, Perviz, his brother, 
undertakes it against his sister's inclination ; but, that 
she might be acquainted with his success, he leaves 
with her a string of a hundred pearls, telling her, that 
if at any time she counted them, and they did not run 
upon the string, but remained fixed, that would be a 
certain sign he had undergone the same fate as his 
brother. — Scott's Transl. of Arabian Nights. 

Somewhat similar to this, is the belief once, and per- 
haps still, prevalent in the Western Islands, regarding 
the Molucca bean or nut, called by the natives Cros- 
punk, which is drifted to their shores across the At- 
lantic. They ascribe to it the virtue of changing co- 
lour when any calamity is to befall its possessor. — 
'' There is a variety of nuts," says Martin, " called 
Mollukoy some of which are used as amulets against 
witchcraft, or an evil eye, particularly the white one : 
and upon this account they are wore about children's 
necks, and if any evil is intended them, they say the 
nut changes into a black colour. That they did change 
colour, I found true by my own observation, but can- 
not be positive as to the cause of it." — Descrip. West, 
Isl. p. 38. 



THE ELFIN KNICHT. 



The Editor is informed that this ballad is of English 
origin; but he has not been able to discover it in any of 
the English Collections. It is here given in a Scottish 
dress, from the recitation of a native of Mearns- shire. 



There stands a knicht at the tap o' yon hill, 

Oure the hills and far awa — 
He has blawn his horn loud and shill,* — 

The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

'If I had the horn that I hear blawn, 

Oure the hills and far awa— *■ 
And the knicht that blaws that horn," — 

The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 



K 



146 

She had na sooner thae words said, — 

Cure the hills and far awa — 
Than the elfin knicht cam to her side, — 

The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

''Are na ye oure young a may, — 
Oure the hills and far awa — 
Wi' onie young man doun to lie," — 
The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

"I have a sister younger than I, — 

Oure the hills and far awa — 
And she was married yesterday," — 
The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

"Married wi' me, ye sail ne'er be liane, — 

Oure the hills and far awa — 
Till ye mak to me a sark but * a seam, — 
The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

And ye maun shape it, knife, sheerless,f — 

Oure the hills and far awa — 
And ye maun sew it, needle, threedless,-) — 

The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

* But — without, f i.e. Without knife, or scissors j needle, or thread. 



147 






And ye maun wash it in yon cistran, 

Oure the hills and far awa — 
Whare water never stood nor ran, — 

The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

And ye maun dry it on yon hawthorn, — 

Oure the hills and far awa — 
Whare the sun ne'er shon sin man was horn,"— 

The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

*'Gin that courtesie I do for thee, — 
Oure the hills and far awa — 
Ye maun do this for me, — 

The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

Ye'll get an acre o' gude red-land f — 

Oure the hills and far awa — 
Atween the saut J sea and the sand, — 

The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

I want that land for to be corn, — 
Oure the hills and far awa — 

* Cistran — cistern. f Red-land — tilled land. \ Saut—-^U 



148 

And ye maiin aer * it \vi' your liorii, — 
The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

And ye maun saw it without a seed, — 

Oure the hills and far awa — 
And ye maun harrow it wi' a threed, — 

The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

And ye maun shear it wi' your knife, — 

Oure the hills and far awa — * 

And na tyne a pickle o't -f for your life, — 
The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

And ye maun moue J it in yon mouse-hole, — 

Oure the hills and far awa — 
And ye maun thrash it in your shoe-sole, — 

The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

And ye maun fan it wi' your luves,§ — 

Oure the hills and far awa — 
And ye maun sack it in your gloves, — 

The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

* ^cr— till. 

f Tyne a pickle o't — lose a grain of it. ^ Moue — put it iip-in ricks. 

§ Fan it wi' your luves — winnow it with your palms. 



149 

And ye maun bring it oure the sea, — 

Oure the hills and far awa — 
Fair and clean, and diy to me, — 

The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

And whan that your wark is weill deen,* — 

Oure the hills and far awa — 
Ye'se get your sark without a seam," — 

The cauld wind's blawn my plaid awa. 

* WeiR ckcn— well done ; the pronunciation of the North. 



NOTE 



THE ELFIN KNICHT. 



Than the elfin knicht earn to her side — p. 146, v. 3. 

Elf is commonly used as synonym ons with Jairt/, though 
it also signifies a spirit or fiend, possessing qualities of 
a more evil nature than the " Gude neebours." — The 
<* Elfin Knicht" comes under the latter description, and 
in truth, may be viewed as the same person as the devil, 
who, in the annals of tradition, is a well known tempter 
of the fair sex. He was once known to have paid his 
addresses to a fair maiden near the hill of Bennochie, 
in Aberdeenshire, in the form and dress of a handsome 
young man ; and so far gained her affections as to get 
her consent to become his wife. It happened, however. 



151 



on the day appointed for the nuptials, which were to 
be celebrated in a distant part of the country, where 
the devil said he resided, that she accidentally discovered 
his cloven feet, (of which distinguishing raark he has 
not the power to divest himself), and was horror-struck 
to find that her ardent lover was no other than the 
devil! Knowing that her promise was binding, and 
believing the tradition that she would be freed from 
her engagement if the day were allowed to elapse be- 
fore he exacted her promise, she dissembled her terror, 
and entered into conversation with him on various to- 
pics, particularly about their approaching nuptials, in 
order to pass over the day. But the devil was not 
80 easily deceived; and peremptorily insisted on her 
going with him. At last, every delay and excuse be- 
ing exhausted, she, as a last resource, told him she 
would voluntarily fulfil her promise, provided he would 
make a causey or road from the foot to the top of Ben- 
nochie, before she finished baking a quantity of bread, at 
which she was then engaged. The devil consented, and 
immediately commenced his labom*; while the maid 
went as quickly to work. But just as she was baking 
the last cake, the devil, who had concluded his task, 
appeared, and claimed her according to bargain. Being 
unwilling to comply, she resisted with all her might ; but 
he carried her off by force : and in passing Bennochie, the 
struggle between them became so great, that the devil, 
enraged at her obduracy, and in order to punish her 
falsehood, transformed her, with her girdle and spartle 
(the baking implements, which she had taken with her 



15^ 



in the hurry) into three grey stones^ which, with the 
road he formed upon the hill, are pointed out to this 
day, to show the wonderful power of the devil, and 
the inevitable fate of those who have connection with 
the evil one ; — thus verifying the proverb " They wha 
deal wt the deil will ae get a dear pennyworth^ 



YOUNG PEGGY. 



"O whare hae ye been, Peggy, 

O whare hae ye been? — 
" r the garden amang the gilly-flow'rs, 

Atween twal* hours and een." 

" YeVe na been there your leen, J Peggy, 
Ye've na been there your leen; 
Your father saw you in Jamie's arms, 
Atween twal hours and een." 

" Tho* my father saw me in Jamie's arms, 
He'll see me there again; 



* Twal — Twelve. f Leen — lone j the north country pronun- 
ciation of one, and alone. Dutch, een and alleen. 



154 

Foi- I will sleep in Jamie's arms, 
When his grave's growin green." 

"Your Jamie is a rogue, Peggy, 

Your Jamie is a loun,* 
Tor trysting out our ae dochter, 
And her sae very young." 

" Lay no the wytef on Jamie, mither. 
The hlame a' lies on me ; — 
For I will sleep in Jamie's arms, 
When your een:|: winna see." — 

Now she has to her ain houer gane. 
He was waiting there him leen; — 
" I'm hlythe to see ye, Jamie, here, 
For we maunna meet again." 

She's tane the wine glass in her hand, 

Pour'd out the wine sae clear; 
Says, " Here's your health and mine, Jamie, 

And we maun meet na mair." 



* Loun — rogue. f Wijte — blame. \ Een — eyes. 



155 

She has tane him in her arms twa, 

And gien him kisses five; 
Says, " Here's your health and mine, Jamie, 

I wish weel mote ye thrive." 

" Your father has a honnie cock, 
Divides the nicht and day; 
And at the middle watch o' the nicht. 
In greenwud ye'll meet me." 

Whan bells war rung, and mass was sung, 

And a' men boun* for bed. 
She's kilted up her green claithing, 

And met Jamie in the wud. 

When bells war rung, and mass was sung, — 

About the hour o' twa, 
Its up bespak her auld father. 

Says, " Peggy is awa! 

Ga saddle to me the black, the black, 

Ga saddle to me the grey;" 
But ere they wan tot the tap o' the hill. 

The wedding was a' bye. 

* Boun — prepared. f IVan to — ai'iived at. 



WILLIAM GUISEMAN. 



My name is William Guiseman, 

In London I do dwell; 
I have committed murder, 

And that is known right well; 
I have committed murder, 

And that is known right well. 
And it's for mine offence I must die. 

I lov'd a neighbour's dochter, 
And with her I did lie; 

I did dissemble with her 
Myself to satisfy; 

I did dissemble mth her 
Myself to satisfy, 
And it's for mine offence I must die. 



157 

Sae cunniiigly's I kept her, 
Until the fields war toom;* 

Sae cunnmgly's I trystedf her 
Unto yon shade o' broom; 

And syne I took my wills o' her, 

And then I flang her doun, 

And it's for mine offence 1 must die. 

Sae cunningly's I kilFd her 

Who should have been my wife; 

Sae cursedly's I kill'd her, 
And with my cursed knife : 

Sae cursedly's I kill'd her, 

Who should have been my wife, 
And it's for mine offence I must die. 

Six days she lay in murder 
Before that she was found ; 

Six days she lay in murder 
Upon the cursed ground ; 



* Toom — empty. f Trijsted — enticed. 



158 

Six days she lay in murder, 
Before that she was found; 
And it's for mine offence I must die. 

all the neighbours round about, 
They said it had been I : — 

1 put my foot on gude shipboard. 
The country to defy; 

The ship she wadna sail again. 
But hoisted to and fro ; 
And it's for mine offence I must die. 

O up bespak the skipper boy, 

I wat he spak too high ; 

" There's sinful men amongst us, 

The seas will not obey :" 

O up bespak the skipper boy, 

I wat he spak too high ; 

And it's for mine offence I must die. 

O we cuist cavels* us amang. 
The cavel fell on me; 

* Cuist cavels — cast lots. See note p. 126. 



159 

O we cuist cavels us amang, 
The cavel fell on me ; 

we ctiist cavels us amang, 
The cavel fell on me : 

And it's for mine offence I must die. 

1 had a loving mother, 
Who of me took gret care, 

She wad hae gien the gold sae red 

T' have bought me from that snare ; 
But the gold could not be granted — 
The gallows pays a share — 
And it's for mine offence I must die. 



LAIRD OF OCHILTREE. . 



This title is given in Clydesdale to a different version 
of ^^ The original ballad of the Broom of the Cowden- 
knows" as published in the Border 31instrelsy. The 
following fragment, under the title of the " Laird of 
Lochnie" is also inserted to show the north country 
version of this ^'■pastoral tale.'' 



It was on a day, when a lovely may 
Was cawing* out her father's kyejf 

And she spied a troop o' gentlemen. 
As they war passing bye. 

" O show me the way, my pretty may, 
O show me the way," said he; 

* Cawing — driving. f Kye — cattle. 



161 

"My steed 1ms just now rode wraiig, 
And the way I canna see." 

^ O hold ye on the same way," she said, 
O hold ye on't again, 
For an ye hold on the king's hieway. 
Rank reivers* will do ye na harm." 

He took her by the milk-white hand, 
And by the gerss green sleeve; 

And he has taigeltf wi' the fair may, 
And of her he speir'd| na leave. 

When ance he got her gudwill. 

Of her he craved na mail', 
But he pou'd out a ribbon frae his pouch. 

And snooded§ up her hair. 

He put his hand into his purse, 
And gied her guineas tJiree : — 

' If I come na back in twenty weeks, 
Ye needna look mair for me." 



*Rank reivers — strong robbers. 

f Taiaelt — tarried. | Speird — asked. § Snooded — see note p. 165, 
^ L 



162 

When the bonnie may gaed liame, 

Her father did her blame ; — 
" Whare hae ye been, now dame," lie said, 
" For ye hae na been your lane." 

" The nicht is misty and mirk,* father. 
Ye may gang to the door and see ; 
The nicht is misty and mirk, father, 
And there's na body wi' me. 

But there cam a todf to your flock, father, 

The like o' him I never saw; 
Or he had tane the lambie that he did, 

I wad rather he had tane them a\ 

But he seem'd to be a gentleman. 
Or a man of some pious degree ; 

For whanever he spak, he lifted up his hat. 
And he had bonnie twinkling ee." 

Wlian twenty weeks war come and gane, 
Twenty weeks and three, 

\ 

* Mirk— dark. f Tod— Fox. 



163 

The lassie begoud* to grow thick in tlie waist, 
And thoucht lang for his twinkling ee. 

It fell upon a day, whan the honnie may 

Was cawing out the kye, 
She spied the same troop o' gentlemen. 

As they war passing bye. 

" O Weill may ye save, my pretty may, 

Weill may ye save and see ; 
Weill may ye save, my bonnie may, 
Gangf ye wi' child to me?" 

But the may she turn'd her back to him. 
She begoud to think meikle shame: — 
" Na, na, na, na, kind sir," she said, 
I've a gudemanj o' my ain." 

'' Sae loud as I hear ye lee, fair may, 
Sae loud as I hear ye lee; 
Dinna ye mind o' yon misty nicht, 
I was in the bucht§ wi' thee?" 

* Begoud — began, f Gang — go. \ Giidemaji — liusband. 
§ Bvcht — sheep-fold. 



164 

He liclited aif his hie, hie, horse, 
And he set the bonnie may on; — 
" Now caw* out your kye gudefatherjf 
Ye maun caw them out your lane. 

For lang will ye caw them out, 

And weary will ye be, 
Or ye get your dochter again. 

That was aye dear to thee. 

He was the Laird o' Ochiltree, 
Of thirty ploughs and three. 

And he has stown awa the bonniest may 
In a' the south countrie. 



* Caw — drive. f Gudefather — father-in-law. 



NOTES 



ON 



LAIRD OF OCHILTREE. 



But he poud out a ribbon frae his potich, 
And snooded up her hair p. 161, v. 5. 

His conduct would lead us to suppose that he had 
rather unsnooded her hair : the snood^ or head-lace, be- 
ing a fillet of ribbon used as a band for the hair, pro- 
perly belonging to unmarried females; and, like the 
English garland, was once viewed as an emblem of 
purity, though it has now lost that distinguishing cha- 
racter, being woni by all classes of women, and indeed, 
has become so degraded, as to be usually worn by fe- 
males of the worst description. This was not the case 
formerly; for so soon as a young woman had " tint 
her snoody' or, in other words, had lost the title of a 
maid, she was no longer permitted to wear that em- 



166 

blem of her virgin state, and was looked upon, by our 
simple, but honest forefathers, as a " guilty thing," 
whose honour could only be repaired by marrying he** 
seducer. 

But he seemd to he a gentleman, 

Or a man of some pious degree. — p. 162, v. 10. 

Is there here any allusion to those itinerant friars 
whom the poet anathematizes, and prays fervently to 
God to send " every priest ane wife ;" 

" For than suld nocht sa many hure 
Be up and doune this land; 
Nor yit sa many beggars pur 
In kirk and mercat stand. 

And not sa meikill bastard seid 

Throw out this cuntrie sawin ; 
Nor gude men uncouth fry suld feed, 

An all the suith were knawin." 

Pinkertoris Ballads, v. 2, p. 10^. 



LAIRD OF LOCHNIE. 



The lassie sang sae loud, sae loud. 

The lassie sang sae shill;* 
The lassie sang, and the greenwud rang. 

At the farther side o' yon hill. 

Bye there cam a troop o' merry gentlemen, 

They a' rade merrily bye; 
The very first and the foremost 

Was the first that spak to the may. 

" This is a mirk and a misty night, 
And I hae ridden wrang, 



Shill^shrill 



168 

If ye wad be sae guid and kind, 
As to show me the way to gang." 

" If ye binna* the Laird o' Lochnie's lands, 
Nor nane o' his degree, 
I will show a nearer road 

The glen waters to keep ye frae." 

" Fm na the Laird o' Lochnie's lands. 
Nor nane o' his degree; 
But I am as brave a knicht, 
And ride aft in his companie. 

Hae ye na pity on me, pretty maid, 

Hae ye na pity on me; 
Hae ye na pity on my puir steed 

That stands trembling by yon tree?" 

" What pity wad ye hae, kind sir, 
What pity wad ye hae frae me? 
Tho' your steed has neither corn nor hay, 
It has gerss at libertie." 

* J?iwna— be not. 



169 

He has trysted* the pretty maid, 

Till they cam to the brume; 
And at the end o' yon ew-buchts. 

It's there they baith sat doun. 

Till up she raise, took up her milk pails, 

And awa' gaed she hame — 
Up bespak her auld father, 

"It's whare ye been sae lang?" 

" This is a mirk and misty nicht, 
Ye may gang to the door and see; 

The ewes took a skipping out oure the knowes,f 
They wadna buchtj in for me. 

I may curse my father's shepherd, 

Some ill death may he die; 
He buchted the ewes sae far frae the town, 

And trysted the young men to me." 



Trysted — enticed, f Anou;es— knolls. \ Bucht — fold. 



THE DUKE OF ATHOL 

Was taken down from the recitation of an Idiot 
boy in Wishaw. 



" I AM gaing awa, Jeanie, 
I am gaing awa, 
I am gaing ayont* the saut seas, 
Fm gaing sae far awa." 

" What will ye buy to me, Jamie, 
What will ye buy to me?" 

" rU buy to you a silken plaid, 
And send it wi' vanitie." 

" That's na love at a', Jamie, 
That's na love at a'; 



* Aijont — beyond. 



171 

All I want is love for love, 
And that's the best ava.* 

" Whan ^vill ye marry me, Jamie, 
Whan will ye marry me? 
Will ye tak me to your countrie,— 
Or will ye marry me?" 

" How can I marry thee, Jeanie, 
How can I marry thee ? 
Whan I've a wife and bairns three, — 
Twa wad na weill agree." 

" Wae be to your fause tongue, Jamie, 
Wae be to your fause tongue; 
Ye promised for to marry me. 
And has a wife at hame ! 

"But if your wife wad dee, Jamie, 
And sae your bairns three. 
Wad ye tak me to your countrie, — 
Or wad ye marry me? 

* Ava-—oi' all. 



17^ 

"But sin* they're all alive, Jamie, 

But sin they're a' alive, 
We'll tak a glass in ilka hand, 

And drink, Weill may they thrive." 

" If my wife wad dee, Jeanie, 
And sae my bairns three, 
I wad tak ye to my ain countrie. 
And married we wad be." 

" O an your head war sair, Jamie,^ 

an your head war sair, 

I'd tak the napkin frae my neck. 
And tie doun your yellow hair." 

" I hae na wife at a', Jeanie, 

1 hae na wife at a', 

I hae neither wife nor bairns three, 
I said it to try thee." 

•' Licht are ye to loup,f Jamie, 
Licht are ye to loup, 

* Sin — since. f Loup — leap. 



173 

Licht are ye to loup the dyke, 
Whan I maun wale a slap."* 

" Licht am I to loup, Jeanie, 
Licht am I to loup; 
But the hiest dyke that we come to, 
I'll turn and tak you up. 

" Blair in Athol is mine, Jeanie, 

Blair in Athol is mine; 
Bonnie Dunkel is whare I dwell, 
And the boats o' Garry's mine. 

" Huntingtower is mine, Jeanie, 
Huntingtower is mine, 
Huntingtower, and bonnie Belford, 
And a' Balquhither's mine." 

* Wale a slap — choose a gap. 



GLASGOW PEGGY 



Is given from recitation. A paltry and imperfect cO' 
pij has often been printed for the stalls, though the Edi- 
tor has never seen it in any collection. 



The Lawland lads think they are fine. 
But the hieland lads are brisk and gaucy;^ 

And they are awa near Glasgow toun. 
To steal awa a bonnie lassie. 

" I wad gie my gude brown steed, 

And sae wad I my gude grey naigie,f 
That I war fifty miles frae the toun, 

And nane wi' me but my bonnie Peggy." 

* Gaucy—-^o\\y. ] Naigie — nag. 



175 

But up tlien spak tlie auld guclraan, 

And vow but he spak wondrous saucie;- 
"Ye may steal awa our cows and ewes, 
But ye sanna get our bonnie lassie." 

" I have got cows and ewes anew, 
IVe got gowd and gear already; 
Sae I dinna want your cows nor ewes, 
But I will hae your bonnie Peggy." 

"I'll follow you oui'e moss and muir, 
I'll follow you oure mountains many, 
I'll follow you through frost and snaw, 
I'll stay na langer wi' my daddie." 

He set her on a gude brown steed, 
Himself upon a gude grey naigie; 

They're oure hills, and oure dales, 
And he's awa wi' his bonnie Peggy. 

As they rade out by Glasgow toun, 
And doun by the hills o' Achildounie, 

There they met the Earl of Hume, 
And his auld son, riding bonnie. 



176 

Out bespak the Earl of Hume, 

And O but he spak wondrous sorry, — 
" The bonniest lass about a' Glasgow toun, 
This day is awa wi' a hieland laddie." 

As they rade bye auld Dry men toun, 
The lassies leuch* and lookit saucy, 

That the bonniest lass they ever saw, 
8udf be riding awa wi' a hieland laddie. 

They rode on through moss and muir,J 
And so did they owre mountains many, 

Until that they cam to yonder glen. 

And she's lain doun wi' her hieland l^tddiew 

Gude green hay was Peggy's bed. 

And brakens§ war her blankets bonnie; 

Wi' his tartan plaid aneath her head. 

And she's lain doun wi' her hieland laddie. 

''There's beds andbowstersH in my father's house, 
There's sheets and blankets, and a' thing ready. 



* Leuch — laughed, f Sud — should. | Moss and muir — mariih 
and moor. § Br akenn'— fern. || Boivaters— holsters. 



177 

And wadna they be aogry wi' me, 

To see me lie sae vvd' a hieland laddie." 

"Tho' there's beds and beddin in your father's house, 
Sheets and blankets and a' made ready; 
Yet why sud they be angry wi' thee, 
Though I be but a hieland laddie. 

It's I hae fifty acres of land, 

It's a' plow'd and sawn already; 
I am Donald the Lord of Skye, 

And why sud na Peggy be call'd a lady? 

I hae fifty gude milk kye, 

A' tied to the staws* already; 
I am Donald the Lord of Skye, 

And why sud na Peggy be call'd a lady ? 

See ye no a' yon castles and tow'rs. 

The sun sheens owre them a' sae bonnie ; 

I am Donald the Lord of Skye, 

I think I'll mak ye as blythe as onie. 



* Staws — stalls. 

M 



178 

A' that Peggy left behind 

Was a cot-house and a wee kail-yardie; 
Now I think she is better by far, 

Than tho' she had got a lawland lairdie. 



LADY MARGARET. 



In Mr. Jamieson's collection will be found, un- 
der the title of " Burd Ellen," a different ver- 
sion of this ballad, containing several emenda- 
tions by that gentleman of very doubtful pro- 
priety; particularly the addition of the three 
concluding stanzas, whereby the character of 
the catastrophe is entirely changed. Instead 
of winding up the story in a happy manner, he, 
adopting the idea of Mrs. Hampden Pye, who 
wrote a ballad on the same subject, has chosen 
to give it a fatal termination; while Child Wa- 
ters^ (another copy published by Percy), and 
all the versions the Editor has seen, give it a 
favourable conclusion. 



LADY MARGARET. 



" The corn is turning ripe, Lord John, 
The nuts are growing fu', 
And ye are bound for your ain countrie, 
Fain wad I go wi' you." 

" Wi* me, Marg'ret, wi' me, Marg'ret, 
What wad ye do wi' me? 
I've mair need o' a pretty little boy. 
To wait upon my steed." 

" It's I will be your pretty little boy 
To wait upon your steed; 
And ilka town that we come to, 
A pack of hounds I'll lead." 



181 

" My hounds will eat o' the bread o' wheat, 
And ye of the bread of bran ; 
And then you will sit and sigh. 
That e'er ye loed a man." 

The first water that they cam to, 

I think they call it Clyde, 
He saftly unto her did say, — 
"Lady Marg'ret, will ye ride?" 

The first step that she steppit in. 

She steppit to the knee; 
Says, "Wae be to ye, waefu* water, 

For through ye I maun be." 

The second step that she steppit in. 

She steppit to the middle, 
And sigh'd, and said, Lady Margaret, — 
" IVe stain'd my gowden girdle." 

The third step that she steppit in. 

She steppit to the neck; 
The pretty babe within her sides. 

The cauld it garr'd it squake.* 

* Squake — cry. 



182 

" Lie still my babe, lie still my babe. 
Lie still as lang's ye may, 
For your father rides on horseback high, 
Cares little for us twae."* 

It's whan she cam to the other side. 

She sat doun on a stane; 
Says, " Them that made me, help me now, 

For I am far frae hame. 

How far is it frae your mither's bouer, 

Gude Lord John tell to me?" 
" Its therty miles. Lady Margaret, 

It's therty miles and three: 
And ye'se be wed to ane o' her serving men, 

For ye'se get na mair o' me." 

Then up bespak the wylie parrot. 

As it sat on the tree; — 
" Ye lee, ye lee. Lord John," it said, 
" Sae loud as I hear ye lee. 

" Ye say it's therty miles frae your mither's bouer 
Whan it's but bai'ely three; 

-^ * Twae — two. 



183 

And she'll ne'er be wed to a serving man, 
For she'll be your ain ladie." 



Monie a lord and fair ladie 

Met Lord John in the closs,* 
But the bonniest face amang them a'. 

Was haudingf Lord John's horse. 

Monie a lord and gay ladie 

Sat dining in the ha', 
But the bonniest face that was there, 

Was waiting on them a'. 

O up bespak Lord John's sister, 
A sweet young maid was she, — 
" My brither has brought a bonnie young page, 
His like I ne'er did see; 

But the red flits fast frae his cheek. 
And the tear stands in his ee." 



* Class- — cnti'y f Ilaudiity — liolcling. 



184 

But up bespak Lord John's mither, 
She spak m' meikle scorn, — 
" He's liker a woman gret wi' bairn. 
Than onie waiting-man." 

" It's ye'll rise up, my bonnie boy, 
And gie my steed the hay." — 

" O that I will, my dear master, 
As fast as I can gae." 

She took the hay aneath her arm. 

The corn intil her hand; 
But at ween the stable door and the staw,* 

Lady Marg'ret made a stand. 



" O open the door, Lady Margaret, 
O open and let me in; 
I want to see if my steed be fed. 
Or my grey hounds fit to rin." 

* iS^flJt;— stall. 



185 

" I'll na open the door, Lord John, she said, 
I'll na open it to tliee, 
Till ye grant to me my ae request, 
And a puir ane it's to me. 

Ye'll gie to me a bed in an out-house, 

For my young son and me, 
And the meanest servant in a' the place,* 

To wait on him and me." 

" I grant, I grant. Lady Marg'ret," he said, 
" A' that, and mair frae me. 
The very best bed in a' the place 

To your young son and thee : 
And my mither, and my sister dear. 
To wait on him and thee. 

And a' thae lands, and a' thae rents. 

They sail be his and thine; 
Our wedding and our kirkingf day. 

They sail be all in ane." 



* P/acc— mansion, f K^ir king— churching. 



186 

And lie has tane Lady Margaret, 
And row'd her in the silk ; 

And he has tane his ain young son, 
And wash'd him in the milk. 



GEORDIE. 



The Editor is inclined to assign the sixteenth 
century as the date of this production. It ap- 
pears to have originated in the factions of the 
family of Huntley, during the reign of Queen 
Mary; and the following passage in Buchanan, 
relates to a transaction which probably gave 
rise to this ballad. — "After this, when the state 
of the public seemed to be somewhat settled, 
the Queen-regent (as now she was called) sent 
out George Gordon, earl of Huntly, to appre- 
hend John Muderach, chief of the family of the 
M'Ronalds, a notorious robber who had played 
many foul and monstrous pranks. It is thought 
that Gordon did not play fair in this expedition; 
so that when he returned without doing the 
business he was sent about, he was kept pris- 



188 



oner till the time appointed for his answer. 
Gordon being in prison, the Queen-regent's 
council were of different opinions as to his pun- 
ishment. Some were for his banishment for se- 
veral years into France; others for putting him 
to death; but both these opinions were rejected 
by Gilbert, earl of Cassils, the chief of his ene- 
mies. For he foreseeing by the present state of 
things, that the peace between the Scots and 
the French would not be long-lived, was not 
for his banishment into France; for he knew a 
man of so crafty a spirit, and so spiteful at 
those who blamed or envied him, would, in 
the war which the insolence of the French was 
like speedily to occasion, be a perfect incendia- 
ry, and perhaps a general for the enemy. And 
he was more against putting him to death, be- 
cause he thought no private offence worthy of 
so great punishment, or to be so revenged, as 
to inure the French to spill the blood of the 
nobility of Scotland. And therefore he went 
a middle way, that he should be fined and kept 
in prison till he yielded up the right which he 
pretended to have over Murray, &c. Upon these 



189 

conditions he was dismissed."— ///5^. iS'cof. 1799, 
vol 2, p. 222. 

A different, and more complete version of 
this ballad was published in " Johnson's Musi- 
cal Museum;" and as that work has become ex- 
ceedingly scarce, the Editor makes no apology 
for here inserting that version, as being more 
particular in its details. 

There was a battle in the North, 

And nobles there were many. 
And they hae kill'd Sir Charlie Hay, 

And they laid the wyte on Geordie. 

O he has written a lang letter, 
He sent it to his lady; 
*' Ye maun cum up to Enbrugh town, 
To see what word's o' Geordie." 

When first she look'd the letter on, 

She was baith red and rosy; 
But she had na read a word but twa, 

Till she wallow't like a lilly. 

" Gar get to me my gude grey steed. 
My menzie a' gae wi' me; 
For I shall neither eat nor drink, 
Till Enbrugh town shall see me." 



190 

And she has mountit her gude grey steed 

Her menzie a' gaed wi' her ; 
And she did neither eat nor drink, 

Till Enbrugh town did see her. 

And first appear'd the fatal block, 
And syne the aix to head him ; 

And Geordie cumin down the stair. 
And bands o' aim upon him. 

But tho' he was chain'd in fetters Strang, 

O' airn and steel sae heavy. 
There was na ane in a' the court, 

Sae bra' a man as Geordie. 

she's down on her bended knee, 
I wat she's pale and weary, — 

" O pardon, pardon, noble king. 
And gie me back my Dearie. 

1 hae borne seven sons to my Geordie dear, 

The seventh ne'er saw his daddie; 
O pardon, pardon, noble king. 
Pity a waefu' lady I" 

** Gar bid the headin-man mak' haste. 
Our king reply'd fu' lordly; — 

" O noble king, tak a' that's mine. 
But gie me back my Geordie. 



191 

The Gordons cam, and the Gordons ran, 
And they were stark and steady; 

And ae the word amang them a', 
Was, Gordons, keep you ready. 

An aged lord at the kiug's right hand, 
Says, " Noble king, but hear me; 

Gar her tell down five thousand pound, 
And gie her back her dearie." 

Some gae her marks, some gae her crowns, 

Some gae her dollars many; 
And she's tell'd down five thousand pound. 

And she's gotten again her dearie. 

She blinkit blythe in her Geordie's face, 
Says, " Dear I've bought thee, Geordie; 

But there sud been bluidy bouks on the green, 
Or I had tint my laddie." 

He claspit her by the middle sma', 
And he kist her lips sae rosy ; — 
" The fairest flower o' woman-kind, 
Is my sweet, bonnie lady!" 



GEORDIE. 



There was a battle in the North, 
And rebels there were monie; 

And monie ane got broken heads, 
And taken was my Geordie. 

My Geordie O, my Geordie O, 
O the love I bear to Geordie; 

For the very grund I walk upon 
Bears witness I loe'^ Geordie^ 

As she gaed up the tolbooth stair. 
The cripples there stood monie; 

And she dealt the red gowd them among, 
To pray for her love Geordie. 

* ioc— love. 



193 

And whan she cam into the hall, 
The nobles there stood monie; 
And ilka ane stood hat on head, 
But hat in hand stood Geordie. 

Up hespak a Norlan* lord, 
I wat he spak na bonnie, — 
*' If ye'll stay here a little while, 
Ye'll see Geordie hangit shortly." 

Then up bespak a baron bold, 
And O but he spak bonnie; — 
" If ye'll pay doun five hundred crowns, 
Ye'se get you true-love Geordie." 

Some lent her guineas, some lent her crowns. 

Some lent her shillings monie; 
And she's paid doun five hundred crowns. 

And she's gotten her bonnie love Geordie, 

When she was mounted on her hie steed. 
And on ahint her Geordie; 



* Norlan — Nortli country. 



194 

Na bird on the brier e'er sang sae clear. 
As the young knight and his ladie: — 

" My Geordie O, 7ny Geordie O, 
O the love I bear to Geordie; 
The very stars in the firmament. 
Bear tokens I loe Geordie,^' 



LORD JOHN 



Is evidently a different version of the ballad of " The 
Broomfield Hill,'' published in the Border Minstrelsy, 
vol 2, p. 244. 



" Tll wager, I'll wager," says Lord John, 
A hundred merks and ten, 
That ye winna gae to the bonnie broom-fields, 
And a maid return again." — 

" But I'll lay a wager wi' you, Lord John, 
A' your merks oure again. 
That I'll gae alane to the bonnie broom-fields, 
And a maid return again." 

Then Lord John mounted his grey steed. 
And his hound wi' his bells sae bricht, 



196 

And swiftly lie rade to the boiiuy broom-fields, 
Wi' his hawks, like a lord or knicht. 

" Now rest, now rest, my bonnie grey steed. 
My lady will soon be here; 
And I'll lay my head aneatli this rose sae red, 
And the bonnie burn* sae near." 

But sound, sound, was the sleep he took. 

For he slept till it was noon; 
And his lady cam at day, left a taikenf and away, 

Gaed as licht as a glint J o' the moon. 

She strawed the roses on the ground, 

Threw her mantle on the brier, § 
And the belt around her middle sae jimp. 
As a taiken that she'd been there. 

The rustling leaves flew round his head, 

And rous'd him frae his dream; 
He saw by the roses, and mantle sae green, 

That his love had been there and was gane. 

* Burn — rivulet, f Taiken — token. \ Glint — glance. 
§ Brier — briar. 



197 

" O whare was ye, my gude grey steed, 
That I coft* ye sae dear; 
That ye didna waken your master, 

Whan ye ken'd that his love was here." — 

" I pautitf wi' my foot, master, 
Garr'd a' my bridles ring; 
And still I cried, Waken, gude master, 
For now is the hour and time." — 

" Then whare was ye, my bonnie grey hound. 
That I coft ye sae dear, 
That ye didna waken your master, 

WTian ye ken'd that his love was here." — 

" I pautit wi' my foot, master, 
Garr'd a' my bells to ring; 
And still I cried, Waken, gude master, 
For now is the hour and time." — 

" But whare was ye, my hawks, my hawks, 
That I coft ye sac dear, 



Coft — bought, f Pautit — stamped. 



198 

That ye didna waken your master. 

Whan ye ken'd that his love was here." — 

" O wyte* na me, now, my master dear, 

I garr'd a' my young hawks sing, 

And still I cried. Waken, gude master, 

For now is the hour and time." — 

" Then be it sae, my wager gane ! 
'Twill skaith frae meikle ill;f 
For gif I had found her in bonnie broom-fields, 
O' her heart's blude ye'd drunken your fill." 

* Ji^t/te — ^blame. 

f ^ Twill skaith frae meikle ill, i. e. it will keep me innocent 
of much evil. 



LAIRD OF DRUM. 



Though this production has never appeared in 
any collection, it has been printed on a broad- 
side in the North, where it is extremely popu- 
lar: the present copy, however, is obtained from 
recitation. 

Drum, the property of the ancient, and once 
powerful family of Irwin or Irvine, is situated 
in the parish of Drumoak, in Aberdeenshire. 
This ballad was composed on the marriage of 
Alexander Irvine of Drum to his second wife, 
Margaret Coutts, a woman of inferior birth 
and manners, which step gave great offence to 
his relations. He had previously, in 1643, mar- 
ried Mary, fourtli daughter of George, second 
Marquis of Huntly. 



LAIRD OF DRUM. 



The Laird q' Drum is a-wooing gane, 
It was on a morning early, 

And he has fawn in wi' a honnie may 
A-shearing at her barley. 

' My bonnie may, my weel-faur'd may, 

will ye fancy me, O ; 

And gae and be the Lady o' Drum, 
And lat your shearing abee, O. 

" It's I canna fancy thee, kind sir, 

1 winna fancy thee, O, 

I winna gae and be Lady o' Drum, 
And lat my shearing abee, O. 



:201 

But set your love on anither, kind sir, 

Set it not on me, O, 
For I am not fit to be your bride, 

And your hure I'll never be, O. 

My father he is a shepherd mean. 
Keeps sheep on yonder hill, O, 

And ye may gae and speir at him. 
For I am at his will, O." 

Drum is to her father gane. 

Keeping his sheep on yon hill, O; 

And he has gotten his consent 

That the may was at his will, O. — 

" But my dochter can neither read nor wi'ite, 
She was ne'er brought up at scheel,* O; 
But weel can she milk cow and ewe, 
And mak a kebbuckf weel, O. 

She'll win:]: in your barn at bear-seed time, 
Cast out your muck at Yule5§ O, 



* Scheel — the Aberdeenshire pronunciation of school. 
f Kebbuck-— cheese. \ Win — work. § Yule- — Christmas. 



She'll saddle your steed in time o' need, 
And draw afF your boots hersell, O." 

"Have not I no clergymen? 
Pay I no clergy fee, O? 
I'll scheel her as I think fit, 
And as I think weel to be, O. 

I'll learn your lassie to read and write, 
And I'll put her to the scheel, O; 

She'll neither need to saddle my steed, 
Nor draw aff my boots hersell, O. 

But wha will bake my bridal bread. 

Or brew my bridal ale, O; 
And wha will welcome my bonnie bride, 

Is mair than I can tell, O." 

Drum is to the hielands gane, 

For to mak a' ready. 
And a' the gentry round about, 

Cried, " Yonder's Drum and his lady! 

Peggy Coutts is a very bonnie bride. 
And Drum is a wealthy laddie. 



208 

But he miclit hae chosen a hier match. 
Than onie shepherd's lassie." 

Then up bespak his brither John, 

Says, " YeVe deen* us meikle wrang, O, 

YeVe married een below our degree, 
A laket to a' our kin, O." 

'' Hold your tongue, my brither John, 

I have deen you na wrang, O, 
For IVe married een to wirk and win,:j: 
And ye've married een to spend O. 

The first time that I had a mfe. 
She was far abeen§ my degi*ee, O; 

I durst na come in her presence. 
But wi' my hat upo' my knee, O. 

The first wife that I did wed, 

She was far abeen my degree, O, 

She wadna hae walk'd to the yetts o' Drum 
But 11 the pearls abeen her bree,f O. 



* Been — done. \ Lake — stain. \ To wirk and wiii — to work 
and gain. § Abeen — above. || But — without. ^ Bree — brow. 



204 

But an she was adored for as much gold. 

As Peggy's for beautie, O, 
She micht walk to the yetts o' Drum 

Amang gueed* companie, O." 

There war four and twenty gentlemen 
Stood at the yetts o' Drum, O, 

There was na ane amang them a' 
That welcom'd his lady in, O. 

He has tane her by the milk-white hand, 

And led her in himsel, O, 
And in thro' ha's, and in thro' bouers, — 
"And ye're welcome, Lady o' Drum, O." 

Thrice he kissed her cherry cheek. 
And thrice her cherry chin, O; 
And twenty times her comely mou', — 
" And ye're welcome, Lady o' Drum, O." 

Ye sail be cook in my kitchen, 
Butler in my ha', O; 

* Gueed — good. 



205 

Ye sail be lady in my command. 
Whan I ride far avva, O." — 

'But I told ye afore we war wed, 

I was owre low for thee, O ; 
But now we are wed, and in ae bed laid, 

And ye maun be content wi' me, O : 

For an I war dead, and ye war dead, 

And baith in ae grave laid, O, 
And ye and I war tane up again, 

Wha could distan your mouls* frae mine, O ?' 



* Distan your mouls — distinguish your dust. 



JOCK O' HAZELGREEN. 



Though not possessing much poetical merits this pro- 
duction lays claim to preservation, as having, appa- 
rently, suggested the idea of Sir Walter Scott's beau- 
tiful Border Ballad of " Jock of Hazeldean" The 
first stanza of that ballad, which is given as ancient, 
differs greatly from the opening one of the present. 



It was on a morning early, 
Afore day licht did appear, 

I heard a pretty damsel 
Making a heavy bier:* 

Making a heavy bier, 

I wonder'd what she did mean, 

* JS/er— complaint. 



207 

But ae tlie tears came rapping* down,- 
Crying, " O Jock o' Hazelgreen." 

" O whare is this Hazelgreen, maid. 

That I may him see." — 
" He is a ticht and proper youth, 
Lives in the south countrie. 
His shoulders broad, his arms long, 

O ! he's comely to be seen," — 
But ae the tears cam rapping doun. 
For Jock o' Hazelgreen. 

" Will ye gang wi' me, fair maid, 
And I'll marry ye on my son :" — 

" Afore I wad go along wi' you, 
To be married on your son, 
I'd rather choose to bide at hame, 
And die for Hazelgreen !" 

But he has tane her up behind. 
And spurred on his horse, 

Till ance he cam to Embro' toun, 
And lichted at the corss.f 



Rapping — tailing rapidly. f Corss — nross. 



!208 

He coft* to her a petticoat, 

Besides a handsome goun; 
He tied a silver belt about her waist, 

Worth thrice three hunder pund. 

And whan he cam to Hazelyetts, 

He lichted doun therein; 
Monie wai* the brave ladies there, 

Monie ane to be seen; 
Whan she li(-hted doun amang them a^ 

She seem'd to be their queen; — 
But ae the tears cam rapping doun, 

For Jock o' Hazelgreen. 

Young Hazelgreen took her by the hand, 

And led her out and in: 
Said, " Bonnie lady, for your sake, 

I could be rent and ravin';f 
I wad gae a' my lands and rents, 

Though I had kingdoms three. 
If I could hae the great pleasure 

To enjoy thy fair bodie," 



* Co/if— bought. 
I Rent and ravin^ — mad, in the language of lovers. 



^209 

" Na mail' o' this," his father said, 

" Of your mourning let abee; 
I brought the damsel far frae hame. 

She's thrice as wae for thee : 
The morn is your bridal day. 

The nicht's your bridal e'en, 
And I'll gie ye a' my lands and rents, 
My pleasing son, Hazelgreen." 



O 



DUKE OF PERTH'S THREE 
DAUGHTERS. 



Another version of this ballad, differing con- 
siderably from the present, has been published, 
under the singular title of Babylon, or the Bon- 
nie Banks of For die, in the "Minstrelsy, An- 
cient and Modern;" where it is given as be- 
ing popular in the Southern parishes of Perth- 
shire. The present copy is from Mearns-shire, 
although it would seem to have Required 'a 
local habitation and a name,' in the former 
county. It appears to relate to the family of 
Drummond of Perth; and though the title of 
' Duke of Perth,' was unknown prior to the 
Revolution, the assuioption of it here does not 
lessen the antiquity of the ballad, as it is a well 
known custom among the vulgar, from whom 



we have to glean our ' legendary lore,' fre- 
quently to alter the names of persons and places 
to suit their own fancy, or caprice : and this hal- 
lad, though really relating to the family alluded 
'to, may have formerly borne a more humble 
name, and acquired its present title on the crea- 
tion of the dukedom. 



DUKE OF PERTH'S THREE 
DAUGHTERS. 



The Duke o' Perth had three daughters, 
Elizabeth, Margaret, and fair Marie; 

And Elizabeth's to the green wud gane 
To pu'* the rose and the fair lilie. 

But she hadna pu'd a rose, a rose, 
A double rose, but barely three. 

Whan up and started a Loudon Lord, 
Wi' Loudon hose, and Loudon sheen.f 



Pm'— pluck. f Loudon sheen— Lothian shoes. 



^213 



" Will ye be called a robber's wife .'' 
Or will ye be stickit wi' my bloody knife? 
For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie, 
For pu'in them sae fair and free. " 

"Before FU be called a robber's wife, 
111 rather be stickit wi' your bloody knife, 
For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie. 
For pu'in them sae fair and free." 

Then out he's tane his little penknife, 
And he's parted her and her sweet life, 
And thrown her o'er a bank o' brume. 
There never more for to be found. 

The Duke o' Perth had three daughters, 
Elizabeth, Margaret, and fair Marie; 

And Margaret's to the greenwud gane 
To pu' the rose and the fair lilie. 

She hadna pu'd a ]*ose, a rose, 
A double rose, but barely three, 

When up and started a Loudon Lord, 
Wi' Loudon hose, and Loudon sheen. 



214 

"Will ye be called a robber's wife ? 
Or will ye be stickit wi' my bloody knife? 
For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie. 
For pu'in them sae fair and free." 

"Before I'll be called a robber's wife, 
I'll rather be stickit wi' your bloody knife, 
For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie. 
For pu'in them sae fair and free." 

Then out he's tane his little penknife, 
And he's parted her and her sweet life, 
For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie. 
For pu'in them sae fair and free. 

The Duke o' Perth had three daughters, 
Elizabeth, Margaret, and fair Marie; 

And Mary's to the greenwud gane 
To pu' the rose and the fair lilie. 

She hadna pu'd a rose, a rose, 
A double rose, but barely three, 

When up and started a Loudon Lord, 
Wi' Loudon hose, and Loudon sheen. 



Q15 

"O will ye be called a robber's wife? 
Or will ye be stickit wi' my bloody knife? 
For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie, 
For pu'in them sae fair and free." 

" Before I'll be called a robber's wife, 
I'll rather be stickit wi' your bloody knife, 
For pu'in the rose and the fair lilie, 
For pu'in them sae fair and free." 

But just as he took out his knife, 
To tak' frae her, her ain sweet life. 
Her brother John cam ryding bye, 
And this bloody robber he did espy. 

But when he saw his sister fair, 
He kena'd her by her yellow hair, 
He call'd upon his pages three. 
To find this robber speedilie. 

"My sisters twa that are dead and gaiie,. 
For whom we made a heavy maene,* 
It's you that's twinn'df them o' their life. 
And wi' your cruel bloody knife. 

* Maene — lameiitrttion. ■\Ticitmd — deprived. 



216 

Then for their life ye sair shall dree. 
Ye sail be hangit on a tree. 
Or thrown into the poison'd lake. 
To feed the toads and rattle-snake.'* 



NOTES 



ON 



DUKE OF PERTH'S THREE 
DAUGHTERS. 



Or thrown into the poison d lahe, 

To feed the toads and rattle-snake, — p. 216, v. 18. 

Those readers who are versant in tales of knight-er- 
rantry, will here be reminded of knights, who, in 
search of perilous enterprises, had often to cross nox- 
ious lakes teeming with pestilential vapours, and 
swarming with serpents, and other venomous reptiles, 
that opposed their baneful and offensive influence to im- 
pede or destroy these bold adventurers. Though the 
" poisoned lake" seems the fiction of romance, yet his- 
tory in her record of human cruelty, shows that the 
use of venomous animals to inflict a lingering and 
painful death, was not unknown in Britain. The 
Saxon Chronicle, in detailing the cruelties exercised 
by the Normans upon the Anglo-Saxons, during the 



f^l8 

reign of king Stephen, relates that " They squeezed 
the heads of some with knotted cords, till they pierced 
their brains, while they threw others into dungeons 
swarming with serpents, snakes, and toads." — Henry's 
Britain, vol. 6, p. 346. This reminds us of the horri- 
ble fate of the warlike Lodbrog, a Danish king, who, af- 
ter successfully waging predatory warfare for a long time 
against the Saxons, was at last taken prisoner by El- 
la, king of Northumberland, and thrown into a dungeon 
full of serpents. He is said to have composed amidst 
his torments, an heroic dea*h song, in which he thus 
laments his fate, and describes his sufferings : — 

Aslanga's sons would soon draw nigh, 

With utmost swiftness hither fly, 

And arm'd with falchions gleaming bright, 

Prepare the bitter deeds of fight. 

If told, or could they but divine 

What woe, what dire mischance is mine. 

How many serpents round me hang. 

And tear my flesh with poisonous fang; 

A mother to my sons I gave, 

With native woi th who stamp'd them brave. 

Fast to th' hereditary end, 

To my allotted goal I tend. 

Fix'd is the viper's mortal harm ; 

Within my heart, his mansion warm, 

In the recesses of my breast 

The writhing snake has form'd his nest. 

Evans s Old Ballads, vol. 3. 



LORD HENRY 
AND LADY ELLENORE. 



The Editor is assured that this ballad, though ap- 
parently of a modern cast, is of considerable antiquity. 
It is given from the recitation of a lady who learned it 
forty years ago, from a very old woman, who in her 
turn, had it from tradition. 



Lady EUenore and Lord Henry 

Liv'd in the North countrie. 
And they hae pledg'd their faith and troth 

That wedded they would be. 

Her father wa« a baron bauld, 
Her brother a valiant knicht, 



220 

And she, her father's ae dochter, 

A maid of beauty bricht. 
But they disliked her ain dear choice, 

For he had nae stately bield;* 
He had but a true and loving heart, 

And honour in the field. 

But love is like the rapid stream 
That rushes down the hill; 

The mair they vow'd against her love, 
The mair she loedf him still. 

For they loed ither frae their youth. 
And wont to stray thegither,J 

By their twa sells, when little babes. 
To pu' the blooming heather. 

But late on a September nicht, 

Thir§ lovers did agree. 
To meet as they were wont to do 

Under the aiken 11 tree. 



'Bield — habitation, f Loed — loved. \ Thegiiher — together. 
5 Thir — these. |) Aiken — oakcJi. 



221 

Lady Ellen, trusty to the hour, 

Did to the grove repair; 
She waited lang, and very lang. 

But nae Henry cam there. 

"O what has stay'd my Henry dear, 
That keeps him sae frae me; 
There is the stream, and there's the rock, 
And here's the aiken tree." 

But loud, loud blew the tempest round, 

And rushing cam the rain; 
She call'd aloud on Henry dear, 

But a' her calls were vain ! 

Nought could be heard, nought could be seen. 

For a' was darkness there; 
She wrung her hands in weeping wae, 

'Twas bord'ring on despair. 

Then out behind a dark, dark cloud 
The moon shone bricht and clear ; 

She thought she saw twa shepherd youths, 
To them she did repair. 



22-2 

But sic a siclit to Ellen fair ! 

She saw her lover laid 
A corpse beside her brother dear, 

Row'd in his tartan plaid ! 

Weel, weel, she kenn'd his lovely form. 

His yellow locks like gold, 
That still wav'd in the surly blast, 

A sad sicht to behold ! 

Her brother still held in his grasp 

A dirk wi' blude all dyed ! 
Her spirit fled, she dropped down 

Close by her lover's side! 

Then at her father's lordly ha', 
The breakfast was set down: — 
"O where's my daughter," says her sirC;, 
" Is she gane frae the toun ?" 

Then up bespak a wylie page, 
And to his lord did say, — 
"Lady Ellen stray'd alane last nicht, 
About the e'ening grey." 



223 

"Gae, search for her all up and down, 
Gae, search her favoured grove; 
I fear she's fallen down the rock, 
For there she aft did rove." 

The storm was o'er, the morn was fair,- 

They soon did them espy. 
All in a hallow of the hill 

The three corpses did lie. 

O hluidy, bluidy, were the youths, 

All dy'd frae head to heel ; 
They still kept in their deadly grasp 

Their dirks o' trusty steel. 

But Ellen lay as one asleep, 

Her jetty tresses flew 
Around her now pale death-cold cheek, 

And o'er her noble brow. 

When tidings to their father cam, 

He lov'd his children so. 
He fell down lifeless on the ground ! 

It was a deadly blow! . 



224 

His lady fair had lang been laid 

Down by yon willow tree, 
That now waves o'er her daughter's grave, 

With her lov'd Henerie. 

Her brother and her father dear 
Sleep sound down by yon brae, 

'Twas a' owing to her brother's proud heart, 
That brought sae meikle wae. 

Lang may Lord Henry's mother look 

Her ain dear son to see; 
He lies beside his Ellen dear, 

Beneath the willow tree. 



HYNDE ETIN. 



A SANGUINE antiquary might, perhaps, with 
some probahility, discover, in this ballad, a frag- 
ment of the tale or romance of the ' Reyde Eyt- 
tyn vitht the thre heydis,* mentioned in the 
' Complaynt of Scotland/ Dr. Leyden, in his 
preliminary dissertation to that work, p. 235, 
speaking of such romances, remarks that they 
are either lost, or only exist as popular tales. 
"The Red Etin is still a popular character in 
Scotland; and, according to the vulgar etymolo- 
gy of his name, is always represented as an insa- 
tiable gormandizer on red or raw flesh, and ex- 
claiming, as in the story of Jack and the Bean- 
stalk, 



" Snouk butt, snouk ben, 

I find the smell of earthlv men." 



^26 

In this ballad, however, he bears a more 
courteous name and character, and seems to 
have lost his ' thre heydis,* and his appetite 
for ' quyk men' ; although his gormandizing 
qualities are proverbial in Mearns-shire, where 
the phrase ' Roaring like a Red Etin^ is ap- 
plied to any one who is clamorous for his vic- 
tuals. 

The reciter, unfortunately, could not re- 
member more of the ballad, although the story 
was strongly impressed on her memory. She 
related that the lady, after having been taken 
home by Hynde Etin, lived with him many 
years, and bore him seven sons, the eldest of 
whom, after the enquiries at his parents detail- 
ed in the ballad, determines to go in search of 
the Earl, his grandfather. At his departure, his 
mother instructs him how to proceed, giving 
him a ring to bribe the porter at her father's 
gate, and a silken vest, wrought by her own 
hand, to be worn in the presence of her father. 
The son sets out, and arrives at the castle, where, 
by bribing the porter, he gets admission to the 
Earl, who, struck with the resemblance of the 



227 

youth to his lost daughter, and the similarity 
of the vest to one she had wrought for himself, 
examines the young man, from whom he dis- 
covers the fate of his daughter. He gladly re- 
ceives his grandson, and goes to his daughter's 
residence, where he meets her and Hynde Et- 
in, who is pardoned hy the Earl through the 
intercession of his daughter. 



HYNDE ETIN. 



May Marg'ret stood in her bouer door, 
Kaiming doun her yellow hair; 

She spied some nuts growin in the wud, 
And wish'd that she was there. 

She has plaited her yellow locks 

A little abune her bree. 
And she has kilted her petticoats 

A little below her knee; 
And she's aff to Mulberry wud. 

As fast as she could gae. 

She had na pu'd a nut, a nut, 
A nut but barely ane, 



'229 

Till up started the Hynde Etiii, 
Says, " Lady ! let thae alane." 

"Mulberry wuds are a* my ain, 
My father gied them me, 
To sport and play whan I thought lang, 
And they sail na be tane by thee." 

And ae she pu'd the tither berrie, 

Na thinking o' the skaith;* 
And said, " To wrang ye, Hynde Etin, 

I wad be unco laith."-]- 

But he has tane her by the yellow locks, 

And tied her till a tree. 
And said, " For slichting my commands, 

An ill death sail ye dree." 

He pu'd a tree out o' the wud, 

The biggest that was there; 
And he howkit| a cave monie fathoms deep, 

And put May Marg'ret there. 

* Skaith — hnrui. f Unco laith — very loth. \ Hou-Mt — Aixg. 



^30 
J 

"No\^ rest ye there, ye saucie May, 
My wuds are free for thee ; 
And gif I tak ye to mysell, 
The better ye'll like me." 

Na rest, na rest, May Marg'ret took. 

Sleep she got never nane; 
Her back lay on the cauld, cauld floor. 

Her head upon a stane. 

" O tak me out," May Marg'ret cried,. 
O tak me hame to theej 
And I sail be your bounden page 
Until the day I dee." 

He took her out o' the dungeon deep. 
And awa wi' him she's gane; 

But sad was the day an earl's dochter 
Gaed hame wi' Hynde Etin. 



It fell out ance upon a day, 

Hynde Etin's to the hunting gane; 



231 

And he has tane wi' him his eldest son, 
For to carry his game. 

"O I wad ask ye something, father, 

An ye wadna angry be ;" — 
" Ask on, ask on, my eldest son, 

Ask onie thing at me." 

"My mother's cheeks are aft times weet, 
Alas ! they are seldom dry." — 

" Na wonder, na wonder, my eldest son, 
Tho' she should hrast* and die. 

For your mother was an earl's dochter, 

Of noble birth and fame; 
And now she's wife o' Hynde Etin, 

Wlia ne'er got christendame. 

But we'll shoot the laverock in the liftf 

The buntlinj on the tree; 
And ye'll tak them hame to your mother, 

And see if she'll comforted be." 



Brast — burst. f Laverock in the lift — lark in the sky. 
\ Buntlin — Bunting. 



i 

" I wad ask ye something, mother. 
An' ye wadna angry he." — 

"Ask on, ask on, my eldest son, 
Ask onie thing at me." 

"Your cheeks they are aft times weet, 
AJas! they're seldom dry:" — 

" Na wonder, na wonder, my eldest son, 
Tho' I should brast and die. 

For I was ance an earl's dochter. 

Of nohle hu-th and fame; 
And now I am the wife of Hynde Etin, 

Wha ne'er got christendame." 



CLERK SAUNDERS. 



The following is the North Country version of this 
popular and pathetic ballad. It is destitute of the con- 
cluding part which follows the death of the lovers, as 
given in tJie * Border Minstrelsy.' 



It was a sad and a rainy nicht. 
As ever rain'd frae toun to toun, 

Clerk Saunders and his lady gay, 
They were in the fields sae hroun. 

" A bed, a bed," Clerk Saunders cried, 
" A bed, a bed, let me lie doun; 
¥oY I am sae wcet, and sae wearie, 

That I canna gac, nor ride frae toun." 



234 J 

A bed, a bed," his lady cried, 
"A bed, a bed, ye'U ne'er get nane; 



For I hae seveo bauld brethren, 
Bauld are they, and very rude, 

And if they find ye in bouer wi' me, 
They winna care to spill your blude." 

" Ye'U tak a lang claith in your hand, 
Ye'll baud it up afore your een; 
That ye may swear, and save your aith. 
That ye saw na Sandy sin yestreen.* 

And ye'U tak me in your arms twa, 

Ye'U carry me into your bed, 
That ye may swear, and save your aith, 

That in your bou'r floor I never gaed." 

She's tane a lang claith in her hand, 
She's hauden'tf up afore her een, 

* Sin t/estreen'— since last evening, f Handen't'— held it. 



235 

That she might swear, and save her aith, 
That she saw na Sandy sin yestreen. 

She has tane him in her arms twa, 
And carried him into her bed, 

That she might swear, and save her aith, 
That on her bou'r floor he never gaed. 

Then in there cam her firsten brother, 
Bauldly he cam steppin in: — 
" Come here, come here, see what I see. 
We hae only but ae sister alive. 
And a knave is in bou'r her wi' !" 

Then in and cam her second brother — 
Says, "Twa lovers are ill to twin:" 
And in and cam her thirden brother. — 
"O brother, dear, I say the same." 

Then in and cam her fourthen brother,— 
" It's a sin to kill a sleepin man:" 

And in and cam her fifthen brother, — 
"O brother, dear, I say the same." 

Then in and cam her sixthen brother, — 
"I wat he's ne'er be steer'd* by me:" 

* Steer'd — clistiubed. 



236 

But ill and cam her seventhen brother, — 
" I bear the hand that sail gar him dee." 

Then out he drew a nut-brown sword, 
I wat he stript it to the stroe, ^ 

And thro' and thro' Clerk Saunder's body, 
I wat he garr'd cauld iron go. 

Then they lay there in ither's arms 

Until the day began to daw; 
Then kindly to Jiim she did say, — 
''It's time, my dear, ye were awa. 

Ye are the sleepiest young man," she said, 
That ever my twa een did see, 

Ye've lain a' nicht into my arms, 
I'm sure it is a shame to be." 

She turn'd the blankets to the foot, 

And turn'd the sheets unto the wa', 
And there she saw his bluidy wound, 



Si/oe—see note p. 238. 



23r 



"O wae be to my seventlien brotlier! 
I vvat an ill death mot he dee, 
He's kill'd Clerk Saunders, an earl's son, 
I wat he's kill'd him unto me." 

Then in and cam her father dear, 

Cannie* cam he steppin in, — 
Says, "Hand your tongue, my dochter dear. 

What need you mak sic heavy meane. 

We'll carry Clerk Saunders to his grave, 
And syne come back and comfort thee:" — 
"O comfort weel your seven sons, father. 
For man sail never comfort me ; 

Ye'U marrie me wi' the Queen o' Heaven, 
For man sail never enjoy me !" 

* Cannie — cautiously. 



NOTE 



ON 



CLERK SAUNDERS. 



Th^n out he drew a nut-brown sword, 

I wat he stript it to the stroe p. 236, v. 1 3. 

The meaning of the last line, which was explained 
by the reciter, " / wat he thrust it to the hilt, (stroe)," 
is obscure ; and the explanation given is very unsatis- 
factory. The Editor knows of no authority for de- 
fining stroe, the hilt of a sword ; and he suspects it is 
merely a corruption of strae. He is, therefore, inclin- 
ed to view the meaning of the line as equivalent to the 
phrase, " He slait it on the strae,'' i. e. he drew the 
sword across the straw to give it a keen edge. 

Now he has drawn his trusty brand, 

And slait it on the strae ; 
And through Gil Morice fair bodie 

He garr'd cauld iron gae. 

Gil Morice. 



239 

Yell marry me to the Queen o Heaven, 
For man sail never enjoy me. — p. 237, v. 19. 

In Popish times, the Virgin Mary was called by way 
of eminence, the " Queen of Heaven." The meaning 
of the figurative expression above quoted, appears to 
be, that the lady, after the death of her lover, wishes 
to devote herself to religious duties, or, in other words 
to become a nun. 



A 

SWEET WILLIAM AND MAY 
MARGARET. 



Though this is evidently a separate and dis- 
tinct ballad from the preceding one of " Clerk 
Saunders,'' yet the Editor of the Border Min- 
strelsy has incorporated it with that ballad; not- 
withstanding, it appears that he was informed 
by the reciter, that it was usual to separate from 
the rest, that part of the ballad which follows 
the death of the lovers, as belonging to another 
story. " For this, however," says he, " there 
seems no necessity, as other authorities give the 
whole as a complete tale." — vol. 2, p. 405. 
The Editor has obtained two copies of this bal- 
lad, as quite unconnected with ^'Clerk Saunders,'^ 
and founded upon a different story. Another 
version of it, in the present form, under the ti- 
nle of " Sweet William's Ghost," will be found 
in Ramsay's Tea-Table Miscellany, and a si- 
milar one in the " Minstrelsy Ancient and Mo- 
dern," titled William and Marjorie. 



SWEET WILLIAM AND MAY 
MARGARET. 



As May Marg'ret sat in her bouerie, 

In her bouer all alone, 
At the very parting o' midnicht, 

She heard a mournfu' moan. 

"O is it my father, O is it my mother? 
Or is it my brother John ? 
Or is it Sweet William, my ain true-love, 
To Scotland new come home?" 

" It is na your father, it is na your mother. 

It is na your brother John : 
But it is Sweet William, your ain true-love, 
To Scotland new come home." — 
Q 



242 

" Hae ye brought me onie fine things, 
Onie hew thing for to wear? 
Or hae ye brought me a braid o' lace. 
To snood up my gowden hair?" 

" Fve brought ye na fine things at all, 

Nor onie new thing to wear. 
Nor hae I brought ye a braid of lace, 
To snood up your gowden hair. 

" But Margaret ! dear Margaret ! 
I pray ye speak to me; 
O gie me back my faith and troth, 
As dear as I gied it thee." 

** Your faith and troth ye sanna get. 
Nor will I wi' ye twin. 
Till ye come within my bouer. 
And kiss me cheek and chin." 

" O Margaret ! dear Margaret! 
I pray ye speak to me; 
O gie me back my faith and troth. 
As dear as I gied it thee." 



243 

" Your faith and troth ye sanna get, 

Nor will I wi' ye twin, 
Till ye tak me to yonder kirk, 
And wed me wi' a ring." 

" O should I come within your bouer, 

I am na earthly man; 
If I should kiss your red, red lips, 
Your days wad na be lang. 

" My banes are buried in yon kirk-yard, 

It's far ayont the sea; 
And it is my spirit, Margaret, 

That's speaking unto thee." 

" Your faith and troth ye sanna get, 

Nor will I twin wi' thee, 
Till ye tell me the pleasures o' Heaven, 
And pains of hell how they be." 

" The pleasures of Heaven I wat not of, 

But the pains of hell I dree; 
There some are hie hang'd for huring, 
And some for adulterie." 



244 

Then Marg'ret took her milk-white hand* 
And smoothed it on his breast; — 

" Tak your faith and troth, William, 
God send your soul good rest." 



QUEEN ELEANOR'S CONFESSION. 



Henry II. of England, while Duke of Norman- 
dy, married, at the age of nineteen, " the fam'd 
Eleanor Dutchess of Guienne and Aquitain, 
who had lately been divorc'd from Lewis king 
of France, for consanguinity and suspicion of 
adultery, after she had born him two daugh- 
ters." — Echard, b. ii. c. 1. The great dispari- 
ty in age, and the moral taint which attached 
to her, would lead us to suspect that Henry was 
directed in his choice, more by the allurement 
of several rich provinces in France, than by af- 
fection for the lady. This may account for his 
notorious infidelity to her bed, particularly with 
'Fair Rosamond,' whom, it is said, Eleanor, 
in a fit of jealousy, caused to be poisoned. 
Whilst our historians charge Eleanor with insti- 



246 

gating her sons to rebel against their father, to 
which she was incited by jealousy and ill usage, 
they do not breathe the slightest suspicion a- 
gainst her conjugal honour while queen of Eng- 
land. It would, therefore, appear that the 
ballad has no foundation in truth, other than 
it may allude to her conduct whilst the wife of 
Louis VII. ' 

The present copy of this ballad dijffers consid- 
erably from the version given in Percy's He- 
Hques. 



QUEEN ELEANOR'S CONFESSION- 



The queen fell sick, and very, very sick^ 
She was sick and like to dee; 

And she sent for a friar oure frae France, 
Her confessour to be. 

King Henry when he heard o' that, 

An angry man was he; 
And he sent to the Earl Marshall, 

Attendance for to gie. 

" The queen is sick," king Henry cried, 
"And wants to be beshriven; 
She has sent for a friar oure frae France, 
By the Rude* he were. better in heaven. 

* Elide — The Croiss. 



248 

But tak you now a friar's guise, 

The voice and gesture feign, 
And when she has the pardon craved. 

Respond to her. Amen ! 

And I will be a prelate old. 

And sit in a corner dark, 
To hear the adventures of my spouse, 

My spouse, and her haly spark." 

" My liege ! my liege ! how can I betray 
My mistress and my queen ! 
O swear by the Rude that no damage 
From this shall be gotten or gien." 

" I swear by the Rude," quoth king Henry, 
" No damage shall be gotten or gien. 
Pome, let us spare no cure nor care. 
For the conscience o' the queen. 



" O fathers! O fathers! Fm very, very sick, 
I'm sick and like to dee; 
Some ghostly comfort to my poor soul, 
O tell if ye can gie!" 



249 

"Confess! confess!" Earl Marshall cried, 

" And you shall pardoned be;" 
" Confess ! confess !" the king replied, 

" And we shall comfort gie." 

" Oh, how shall I tell the sorry, sorry tale? 
How can the tale be told ! 
T play'd the harlot wi' the Earl Marshall, 
Beneath yon cloth of gold. 

" Oh, wasna that a sin, and a very great sin? 

But I hope it will pardoned be." 
" Amen I Amen !" quoth the Earl Marshall, 
And a very fear't heart had he. 

" O down i' the forest, in a bower, 
Beyond yon dark oak-tree, 
I drew a penknife frae my pocket, 
To kill king Henerie. 

" Oh, wasna that a sin, and a very great sin? 

But I hope it will pardoned be." 
" Amen ! Amen !" quoth the Earl Marshall, 

And a very fear't heart had he. 



250 

" O do you see yon pretty little boy. 

That's playing at the ba'? 
He is the Earl Marshall's only son, 
And I loved him best of a'. 

" Oh, wasna that a sin, and a very great sin? 

But I hope it will pardoned be." 
" Amen ! Amen !" quoth the Earl Marshal], 

And a very fear't heart had he. 

" And do you see yon pretty little girl 
That's a' beclad in green ? 
She's a friar's daughter oure in France, 
And I hoped to see her a queen. 

" Oh, wasna that a sin, and a very great sin ? 

But I hope it will pardoned be." 
" Amen ! Amen !" quoth the Earl Marshal], 

And a fear't heart still had he. 

" O do you see yon other little boy, 
That's playing at the ba' ? 
He is king Henry's only son, 
And I lilce him warst of a'. 



^51 



" He's headed like a buck," she said, 

" And backed like a bear :" — 
" Amen !" quoth the king, in the king's ain voice, 
" He shall be my only heir!" 

The king look'd over his left shoulder, 
An angry man was he : — 
" An it werna for the oath I sware, 
Earl Marshall, thou shouldst dee." 



MARY HAMILTON. 



This north country version of the popular bal- 
lad of ' The Queen's Marie,' differs greatly from 
the copy published in the Border Minstrelsy, 
vol. 3, p. 87. The reader is referred to the in- 
troductory note to that copy for the story upon 
which this ballad is apparently founded. The 
Editor has heard the two following stanzas re- 
peated as belonging to another version; 

My father is the Duke of Argyle, 

My mother s a lady gay; 
And I, mysel, am a daintie dame, 

And the king desired me. 

He shaw'd me up, he shaw'd me doun, 

He shaw'd me to the ha'. 
He shaw'd me to the low cellars, 

And that was warst of a'. 



MARY HAMILTON, 



" Whan I was a babe, and a very little babe, 
And stood at my mither's knee, 
Nae witch nor warlock* did unfauld 
The death I was to dree. 

But my mither was a proud woman, 

A proud woman and a bauld; 
And she hii'ed me to Queen Mary's bouer 

When scarce eleven years auld. 

O happy, happy, is the maid 
That's born of beauty free! 



Jf^arloch'-rwlzSLtd. 



254 

It was my dimpling rosy cheeks 
That's been the dule* o' me ; 

And wae be to that weirdless wicht,f 
And a' his witcherie." 



Word's gane up, and word's gane doun, 

And word's gane to the ha'. 
That Mary Hamilton was wi' bairn, 

And na body ken'd to wha. 

But in and cam the Queen hersel, 
Wi' gowd plait on her hair; — 

Says, " Mary Hamilton, whare is the babe 
That I heard greet sae sair?" 

^' There is na babe within my bouer. 

And I hope there ne'er will be; 
But it's me wi' a sair and sick colic. 
And I'm just like to dee." 

But they looked up, they looked down, 
Atween the bowstersj and the wa', 

* Dule — grief. f Weirdless wicht — ill-fated person. 
\ JBowsters — bolsters. 



255 

It's there they got a boimie lad-bairn,* 
But it's life it was awa'. 

" Rise up, rise up, Mary Hamilton, 
Rise up and dress ye fine. 
For you maun gang to Edinbruch, 
And stand afore the nine. 

Ye'll no put on the dowie black. 

Nor yet the dowie brown; 
But ye'U put on the robes o' red. 

To sheen thro' Edinbruch town." 

" I'll no put on the dowie black. 
Nor yet the dowie brown; 
But I'll put on the robes o' red, 
To sheen thro' Edinbruch town." 

As they gaed thro' Edinbruch town, 
And down by the Nether-bow, 

There war monie a lady fair 

Siching and crying, "OchI howf !" 



* Lad-bairn — man-child, f Och! how! — oh! alas! 



^56 

" O weep iia mair for me, ladies. 
Weep na mair for me ; 
Yestreen I killed my ain bairn, 
The day I deserve to dee. 

What need ye hech ! and how ! ladies, 

What need ye how ! for me ; 
Ye never saw grace at a graceless face, — 

Queen Mary has nane to gie." 

"Gae forward, gae forward," the Queen she said, 
" Gae forward, that ye may see; 
For the very same words that ye hae said, 
Sail hang ye on the gallows tree." 

As she gaed up the Tolbooth stairs, 

She gied loud lauchters three; 
But or ever she cam down again. 

She was condemned to dee. 

" O tak example frae me, Maries, 
O tak example frae me, 
Nor gie your luve to courtly lords, 
Nor heed their witchin' ee. 



257 

" But wae be to the Queen hersel, 

She micht hae pardon'd me ; 
But sair she's striven for me to hang 
Upon the gallows tree. 

Yestreen the Queen had four maries, 
The nicht she'll hae but three; 

There was Mary Beatoun, Mary Seaton, 
And Mary Carmichael, and me. 

Aft hae I set pearls in her hair. 

Aft hae I lac'd her gown, 
And this is the reward I now get, 

To be hang'd in Edinbruch town! 

O a' ye mariners, far and near. 

That sail ayont the faem,* 
O dinna let my father and mither ken, 

But what I am coming hame. 

O a' ye mariners, far and near, 
That sail ayont the sea. 



Faem — ^properly /oani, but here used to signify the sea. 
R 



258 

Let na my father and mither ken, 
The death I am to dee. 

Sae, weep na mair fox* me, ladies, 

Weep na mair for me, 
The mither that kills her ain bairn 

Deserves weel for to dee." 



NOTE 



ON 



MARY HAMILTON. 



For ye maun gang to Edinbruch, 

And stand afore the nine, — p. 255, v. 8. 

Anciently the supreme criminal Court of Scotland was 
composed of nine members, viz. the Justiciar, or Jus- 
tice General, and his eight Deputes, who were called 
Aitornati Justiciarii, They had also the privilege of 
being present at the Privy Council, to whom they 
acted as assessors in all criminal matters that came 
before them. 



LORD BEICHAN AND SUSIE PYE. 



Another versio?i of this ballad, differing considera- 
bly from the present, will he found in Mr. Jamiesons 
Collection,vol.2,p. 17. 



Young Beichan was in London born, 
He was a man of hie degree; 

He past thro' monie kingdoms great, 
Until he cam unto Grand Turkic. 

He viewed the fashions of that land. 
Their way of worship viewed he ; 

But unto onic of their stocks* 

He wadna sac much as bow a knee: 

* S'ifoc^;-- objects of idolatry. 



261 

Which made him to be taken straight, 
And brought afore their hie jurie; 

The savage Moor did speak upricbt, 
And made him meikle ill to dree. 

In ilka shoulder they've bor'd a hole, 
And in ilka hole they've put a tree; 

They've made him to draw carts and wains. 
Till he was sick and like to dee. 

But young Beichan was a Christian born, 

And still a Christian was he; 
Which made them put him in prison- Strang, 

And cauld and hunger sair to dree; 
And fed on nocht but bread and water. 

Until the day that he mot* dee. 

In this prison there grew a tree. 
And it was unco stout and Strang; 

Where he was chained by the middle, 
Until his life was almaist gane. 



Mot — mi^ht. 



262 

The savage Moor had but ae dochter. 
And her name it was Susie Pye ; 

And ilka day as she took the air. 
The prison door she passed bye. 

But it fell ance upon a day, 

As she was walking, she heard him sing; 
She listen'd to his tale of woe, 

A happy day for young Beichan ! 

" My hounds they all go masterless, 
My hawks they flee frae tree to tree. 
My youngest brother will heir my lands. 
My native land I'll never see." 

" O were I but the prison-keeper, 
As I'm a ladie o' hie degree, 
I soon wad set this youth at large, 
And send him to his ain countrie." 

She went away into her chamber, 
All nicht she never clos'd her ee; 

And when the morning begoud to dawn. 
At the prison door alane was she. 



263 

She gied the keeper a piece of gowd, 
And monie pieces o' white monie, 

To tak her thro' the holts and bars, 

The lord frae Scotland she lang'd to see; 

She saw young Beichan at the stake, 
Which made her weep maist bitterlie. 

*' O hae ye got onie lands," she says, 
"Or castles in your ain countne? 
It's what wad ye gie to the ladie fair 
Wha out o' prison wad set you free?" 

" It's I hae houses, and I hae lands, 
Wi' monie castles fair to see, 
And I wad gie a' to that ladie gay, 
Wha out o' prison wad set me free." 

The keeper syne brak afF his chains, 
And set Lord Beichan at libertie : — 

She fiU'd his pockets baith wi' gowd, 
To tak him till his ain countrie. 

She took him frae her father's prison. 
And gied to him the best o' wine; 



264 

And a brave health she drank to him,— • 
"I wish. Lord Beichan, ye were mine! 

It's seven lang years FU mak a vow, 
And seven lang years I'll keep it true; 

If ye'U wed wi' na ither woman. 
It's I will wed na man but you." 

She's tane him to her father's port, 
And gien to him a ship o' fame, — 
"Farewell, farewell, my Scottish lord, 
I fear I'll ne'er see you again." 

Lord Beichan turn'd him round about, 

And lowly, lowly, loutit* he: — 
"Ere seven lang years come to an end, 
I'll tak you to mine ain countrie." 



Then whan he cam to Glasgow town, 
A happy, happy, man was he; 

The ladies a' around him thrang'd, 
To see him come frae slaverie. 

* Loutit — bowed down. 



26 



o 



His mother she had died o* sorrow, 
And a' his brothers were dead but he; 

His lands they a' were lying waste. 
In ruins were his castles free. 

Na porter there stood at his yett ; 

Na human creature he could see ; 
Except the screeching owls and bats, 

Had he to bear him companie. 

But gowd will gar the castles grow, 
And he had gowd and jewels free ; 

And soon the pages around him thrang'd, 
To serve him on their bended knee. 

His hall was hung wi' silk and satin, 
His table rung wi' mirth and glee ; 

He soon forgot the lady fair. 
That lows'd him out o' slaverie. 

Lord Beichan courted a lady gay. 
To heir wi' him his lands sae free, 

Ne'er thinking that a lady fair 

Was on her way frae Grand Turkic. 



Q66 

For Susie Pye could get na rest, 
Nor day nor nicht could happy be, 

Still thinking on the Scottish Lord, 
Till she was sick and like to dee. 

But she has builded a bonnie ship, 

Weel mann'd wi' seamen o' hie degree; 

And secretly she stept on board. 
And bid adieu to her ain countrie. 

But whan she cam to the Scottish shore, 
The bells wei'e ringing sae merrilie; 

It was Lord Beichan's wedding day, 
Wi' a lady fair o* hie degree. 

But sic a vessel was never seen. 

The very masts were tapp'd wi' gold ! 

Her sails were made o' the satin fine, 
Maist beautiful for to behold. 

But whan the lady cam on shore, 
Attended wi' her pages three. 

Her shoon were of the beaten gowd. 
And she a lady of great beautie. 



267 

Then to the skipper she did say, 

*' Can ye this answer gie to me — 
Where are Lord Beichan's lands sae braid? 
He surely lives in this countrie." 

Then up hespak the skipper bold, 

(For he could speak the Turkish tongue,) 
" Lord Beichan lives not far away, 
This is the day of his wedding." 

" If ye will guide me to Beichan's yetts, 
I will ye well reward," said she, — 
Then she and all her pages went, 
A very gallant companie. 

When she cam to Lord Beichan's yetts, 

She tirFd gently at the pin, 
Sae ready was the proud porter 

To let the wedding guests come in. 

" Is this Lord Beichan's house," she says, 
Or is that noble Lord within ?" 

" Yes, he is gane into the hall. 

With his brave bride, and monie ane." 



268 

" Ye'll bid him send me a piece of bread, 
Bot and a cup of his best wine; 
And bid him mind the lady's love 

That ance did lowse him out o' pyne."* 

Then in and cam the porter bold, 

I wat he gae three shouts and three, — ^ 
*' The fairest lady stands at your yetts. 
That ever my twa een did see." 

Then up bespak the bride's mither, 
I wat an angry woman was she, — 
" You micht hae excepted our bonnie bride, 
Tho' she'd been three times as fair as she. 

" My dame, your daughter's fair enough. 
And aye the fairer mot she be ! 

But the fairest time that e'er she was. 
She'll na compare wi' this ladie. 

She has a gowd ring on ilka finger. 
And on her mid-finger she has three; 

* Lowse him out o' />yne— delivered him out of bondage. 



^269 

She lias as meikle gowd upon her head, 
As wad buy an Earldom o' land to thee. 

My lord, she begs some o' your bread, 
Bot and a cup o' your best wine. 

And bids you mind the lady's love 
That ance did lowse ye out o' pyne." 

Then up and started Lord Beichan, 

I wat he made the table flee, — 
" I wad gie a' my year lie rent 

'Twere Susie Pye come owre the sea." 

Syne up bespak the bride's mother, — 
She was never heard to speak sae free, — 
" Ye'll no forsake my ae dochter, 

Tho' Susie Pye has cross'd the sea?" 

" Tak hame, tak hame, your dochter, madam. 
For she is ne'er the waur o' me; 
She cam to me on horseback riding, 

And she sail gang hame in chariot free." 

He's tane Susie Pye by the milk-white hand, 
And led her thro' his halls sae hie, — 



'270 

' Ye're now Lord Beichan's lawful wife, 
And thrice ye*re welcome unto me." 

Lord Beichan prepared for another wedding, 
Wi* baith their hearts sae fu' o' glee ; — 

Says, " I'll range na mair in foreign lands, 
Sin Susie Pye has cross'd the sea. 

Fy!*gar a' our cooks mak ready; 

And fy ! gar a* om* pipers play; 
And fy ! gar trumpets gae thro* the toun, 

That Lord Beichan*s wedded twice in a day!" 

* Fy /—haste. 



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